Asimov

New blog! This one is about the synthetic biology + computational tools we're building to improve gene therapy manufacturing.   Our newest launch, called AAV Edge, includes payload design tools, such as tissue-specific promoters that are only active in specific tissues with minimal off-targeting to the liver (>200-fold increase in expression target vs. off-target tissue), a sequence optimization algorithm that boosts clinical transgene expression up to 7x, and an RNA interference-based circuit to silence the payload during manufacturing to reduce cellular stress and toxicity, thus leading to higher-quality AAVs.   It also includes manufacturing tools, such as a clonal, suspension-adapted HEK293 cell line, an optimized two-plasmid system that makes it easier to tune the expression of various AAV components, and data-driven, statistical, and mechanistic models to understand and optimize AAV production across scales and bioreactor configurations.   Learn more about how this works and why we think it matters in the blog. We'll have a lot more to say about the experiments behind each of these tools in forthcoming articles, too! https://lnkd.in/e_Pbwrvg

This schematic shows how lentiviruses are made in the lab. We made it for a blog, but perhaps it'll also be useful for students and educators. Also, our LV Edge system uses stable cell lines and software design tools to achieve lentiviral titers of 1E9 TU/mL for therapeutic transgenes! Blog: https://lnkd.in/e5CnS6fy

We just launched our AAV Edge system, a suite of tools for end-to-end payload design and gene therapy production. We'll publish a blog soon; in the meantime, here's a figure we made to explain how AAVs are made in the lab. Hopefully this will be useful for students+teachers!

Today we're announcing AAV Edge, our AI-powered suite of tools for gene therapy design and manufacturing. It's the first comprehensive platform for AAV manufacturing that enables end-to-end optimization, from payload design to tissue-specific control of gene expression to model-guided process development. With dozens of gene therapies now approved by the FDA, and more than 500 more in the pipeline, it's time to solve challenges in safety, manufacturability, and cost so that these treatments can reach more patients. AAV Edge includes: - Our AI-designed & animal-validated tissue-specific promoters. - DNA optimization tools to boost expression levels in vivo. - Silencing of genes of interest during production to minimize toxicity. - GMP-banked HEK293 host cell line. - An optimized two-plasmid system that is compatible across many different capsids. The platform achieves unconcentrated bioreactor titers up to E12 viral genomes per milliliter. Learn more & contact us to get access: https://lnkd.in/ePA3mg5s

"Can we holistically optimize genetic design and bioprocess design to significantly enhance performance, beyond what is achievable through isolated optimizations?" In his recent presentation at the Bioprocessing Summit, Asimov’s Head of Process Modeling, Will Johnson, tackles this question. He discusses how Asimov’s sequential application of modeling approaches has driven remarkable results — a 3.5-fold increase in antibody titers and a 12-fold increase in lentiviral titers. To learn more about Asimov's advancements in bioprocessing, watch Will's full talk here: https://lnkd.in/ebQzZKSj

We're starting a Column on our blog. First up: Niko McCarty makes the case for working on biotech, and explains why now is a good time to jump into the field. This essay makes sweeping claims in a compact form. Check it out! https://lnkd.in/ebuRx3Mi

Yesterday we announced our Genetic Compiler, which automatically designs vectors to optimize antibody expression in CHO cells. Using the Compiler, our typical titer ranges for antibody production have increased to 5-11 g/L before bioreactor optimization. Learn more in this video!

Compilers help programmers take abstract ideas and reduce them to 1s and 0s that machines understand. We're building Compilers for Biology. Our new Compiler takes antibody sequences as input & designs 8 vectors, boosting titers to 5-11 g/L before bioreactor optimization. Read the announcement & subscribe here: https://lnkd.in/dxFTFrYN

Cells are dense, crowded places; a bit like molecular burritos. When we engineer an organism, coaxing it to make proteins or molecules, we are imposing a molecular burden upon it. Our latest blog is all about these molecular "loads," and how to ease them, in engineered cells. Read: https://lnkd.in/ej9aMgHH

Last week, we took another step to reduce our customers' risk during therapeutic development by increasing our cell line development titer guarantee for IgG monoclonal antibodies to 5 g/L. We have optimized the vector architectures, genetic parts selection, and predictive modeling of multiple biological processes. While we always target titers in excess of 10 g/L in our CLD process, we can now guarantee a minimum of 5 g/L for IgG molecules. Interested in reducing your CLD risk? Visit our webpage to learn more: www.asimov.com/CHO