Cobra Biologics, a Keele, UK-headquartered contract development and manufacturing organization for biologics and pharmaceuticals, and Symbiosis Pharmaceutical Services, a Stirling, Scotland-headquartered contract manufacturing organization, have been awarded a 16-month collaborative grant of £1.9 million ($2.6 million) from Innovate UK, the UK government’s innovation agency.

The grant is expected to establish commercial viral-vector manufacturing capabilities within the UK for the partner companies.

The joint investment project, costing £4.8 million ($6.6 million) in total, aims to develop capabilities for clinical and commercial production of gene and immunotherapy viral vectors for both drug-substance and drug-product manufacturing.

The project will also support a larger investment in the production capabilities of both companies, streamlining the manufacturing of viral-vector products through operational and commercial alignment.

The grant is awarded under Innovate UK’s Health and Life Sciences Program and is aligned with the UK government’s Industrial Strategy, the policy document for its long-term goals and plans for economic development in the UK.

Source: Cobra Biologics