WuXi Advanced Therapies Announces TESSA™ Technology Licensing Agreement with Janssen

Philadelphia, USAAugust 12, 2022PR Newswire -- WuXi AppTec's CTDMO Shanghai Yaomingshengji Pharmaceutical Technology Co., Ltd., which focuses on cell and gene therapies, today announced that it has reached a licensing agreement with Janssen Biotech, Inc., a subsidiary of Janssen Pharmaceuticals under Johnson & Johnson. According to the agreement, WuXi AppTec will authorize Janssen to use its advanced TESSA technology.™Patented Technology. TESSA™The technology is a high-performance system used for manufacturing adeno-associated virus vectors (AAV), and the AAV produced through it is 10 times that of traditional methods. Meanwhile, Janssen can also use Shanghai Yaomingshengji Pharmaceutical Technology Co., Ltd.'s patented clonal suspension HEK293 cell line. This licensing agreement was led by Johnson & Johnson Innovation.

AAV vectors can transduce a variety of cell and tissue types, making them a primary tool for delivering gene therapy to patients. TESSA from Shanghai Yaomingshengji Pharmaceutical Technology Co., Ltd.™Technology can help customers produce high-quality AAV more efficiently to meet the industry's demand for large-scale AAV production. Shanghai Yaomingshengji Pharmaceutical Technology Co., Ltd. has successfully implemented TESSA.™The production scale of the technology has been increased to 200L, which can produce more than 10 times the yield of AAV compared with traditional plasmid-based methods, and the proportion of fully packaged AAVs is significantly improved, greatly reducing the total production cost of AAV.

"Honored that Janssen has chosen WuXi AppTec's TESSA"™Technology." Dr. Zhang Youxiang, CEO of Shanghai Yaomingshengji Pharmaceutical Technology Co., Ltd., stated: "We will continue to enhance TESSA™The platform's capabilities and scale enhance the efficiency and feasibility of AAV product R&D and production, benefiting patients worldwide.

As a global cell and gene therapy CTDMO, WuXi AppTec will continue to strengthen the capacity and scale of its enabling platform, helping partners accelerate the launch of more innovative cell and gene therapies to benefit patients.

About Shanghai Yaomingshengji Pharmaceutical Technology Co., Ltd.

Shanghai Yaomingshengji Pharmaceutical Technology Co., Ltd. is a CTDMO under WuXi AppTec, focusing on cell and gene therapies. It is committed to accelerating and transforming the development, testing, manufacturing, and commercialization of gene and cell therapies as well as other advanced therapies. Shanghai Yaomingshengji Pharmaceutical Technology Co., Ltd. can help global customers bring more innovative therapies to market sooner, benefiting patients. For more information, please visitwww.wuxiatu.com。       

About WuXi AppTec

WuXi AppTec (Stock Code: 603259.SH/2359.HK) provides integrated, end-to-end new drug research and development and production services to the global biopharmaceutical industry. The company operates bases in Asia, Europe, North America, and other regions. Through its unique "CRDMO" and "CTDMO" business models, WuXi AppTec continuously lowers R&D barriers, enhances customers' R&D efficiency, and brings more breakthrough therapies to patients. Its service scope covers areas such as chemical drug R&D and production, biological research, preclinical testing and clinical trial R&D, as well as cell and gene therapy R&D, testing, and production. In 2021, WuXi AppTec was rated ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) AA by MSCI. Currently, the company’s enabling platform supports over 5,850 R&D innovation projects from partners across more than 30 countries, committed to bringing more novel and effective drugs to patients worldwide, striving to realize the vision of "making drugs easier to develop and diseases easier to treat." For more information, please visit the company website:www.wuxiapptec.com。