Global contract development and manufacturing organization Recipharm and Swiss biotechnology company CanVirex have signed a strategic collaboration agreement supporting the clinical development of CanVirex’s oncolytic measles virus platform, with the goal of establishing a scalable manufacturing process.

The partnership began with Recipharm-led feasibility studies to support cell and virus banking in static culture systems, establishing development cell and virus banks and confirming the suitability of CanVirex’s Vero cell/measles virus system for further process development, according to the announcement.

The program will now move into process development runs “enabling optimization of a scalable bioreactor manufacturing process based on microcarrier culture” with the goal of creating a “launching pad” for future GMP manufacturing, Recipharm said.

"Establishing a scalable manufacturing process is a critical step toward bringing our next-generation oncolytic measles virus platform into clinical development,” Werner Tschollar, chairman of the Board of Directors at CanVirex, said in a statement. “Recipharm brings unique expertise in manufacturing complex viral therapeutics and provides a strong foundation for future clinical supply.”

The project is being carried out at Recipharm’s Cuxhaven, Germany facility, a biologics manufacturing hub supporting the development and commercialization of advanced therapies. The site provides integrated development, manufacturing, sterile fill-finish, and analytical services from pre-clinical development through commercial supply.

Last year, Recipharm designated its Cuxhaven facility as a Center of Excellence for Analytical Services to support advanced therapy and biologics programs. The multi-product site serves as a strategic hub supporting projects across the European Union and U.S. Renovated GMP analytical laboratories provide scalable capacity to accommodate programs from early development through commercial manufacturing.