Business
OXB announces R&D collaboration with Microsoft
OXB announces R&D collaboration with Microsoft.
About this update from Oxford Biomedica Plc
[{"type":"text","content":"\n \nRNS Number : 5228S Oxford Biomedica PLC 12 March 2019 \n\n \n \nOxford Biomedica announces R&D collaboration with Microsoft to improve gene and cell therapy manufacturing using the intelligent cloud and machine learning\n \nOxford, UK - 12 March 2019: Oxford Biomedica plc (LSE:OXB), a leading gene and cell therapy group, today announces that it has entered into a research and development collaboration with Microsoft Research to improve the yield and quality of next generation gene therapy vectors using the cloud and machine learning.\n \nCell and gene therapy has the potential to transform medicine, providing long-term and potentially curative treatment options for a wide range of diseases. The first products are already approved and available for patients however, with the increase in demand for these innovative therapies comes manufacturing challenges for the delivery systems that enable them.\n \nThe collaboration will combine the expertise of Oxford Biomedica researchers in cutting edge vector development and large scale manufacture and the team within the Station B initiative at Microsoft to explore new ways to increase the yield and improve the purity of Oxford Biomedica's lentiviral vectors, while further reducing the cost. Oxford Biomedica will contribute large data sets for analysis via the Microsoft Azure intelligent cloud platform. Microsoft, in collaboration with Oxford Biomedica scientists, will utilise its cloud computing and machine learning capabilities to develop in silico models and novel algorithms to help advance the next generation of cell and gene delivery technology. The collaboration will run for an initial two-year period and may be extended by either party. \n \nJason Slingsby, Chief Business Officer of Oxford Biomedica, said: \"Our LentiVector® gene delivery platform is recognised as a leading solution by major industry players but developing next-generation manufacturing technologies is complex and often involves uncertain outcomes.\n \n\"The collaboration with Microsoft Research will harness our rich data resources to offer greater insights into the biological processes required to enhance quality and optimise yields of lentiviral vectors. It builds on our digital framework initiative, established in 2018, and the work underway in our collaboration wi...