Business
Xlife Sciences AG Announces Strategic Collaboration between Portfolio Company Firstgene Life Sciences and Hovione in the Field of Gene Therapy
Xlife Sciences AG Announces Strategic Collaboration between Portfolio Company Firstgene Life Sciences and Hovione in the Field of Gene
About this update from Xlife Sciences Ltd.
[{"type":"text","content":"\n\n\nXlife Sciences AG\n\n\n / Key word(s): Alliance/Partnership\n\n\n\n\n\nXlife Sciences AG Announces Strategic Collaboration between Portfolio Company Firstgene Life Sciences and Hovione in the Field of Gene Therapy \n\n\n\n\n\n\n06.05.2025 / 07:00 CET/CESTZurich, 6th of May 2025: Xlife Sciences AG («Xlife Sciences»; SIX:XLS) is proud to announce a strategic collaboration between its portfolio company Firstgene Life Sciences GmbH («Firstgene») and Hovione S.A. («Hovione»), a globally active specialist in pharmaceutical development and manufacturing, for the development of a new gene therapy approach for the treatment of Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common type of liver cancer.Through this partnership, Firstgene and Hovione have entered into an exclusive license agreement to utilize Hovione’s gene therapy platform for the development of a tissue-specific therapy targeting HCC - the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. With approximately 900,000 new cases diagnosed annually and a five-year survival rate of only 21%, HCC represents a significant unmet medical need. The collaboration aims to tackle this challenge through a novel therapeutic strategy.\nHovione’s proprietary gene therapy platform enables the highly specific delivery of genetic material to target tissues, addressing key challenges of conventional gene therapy such as off-target effects. This innovative approach opens up new treatment possibilities for indications that have historically lacked effective therapeutic solutions.\nThe partnership combines Hovione’s advanced expertise in molecular engineering and production enabling the supply of tailor-made virus-like particles (VLPs) and supporting preclinical research efforts with Xlife Sciences expertise in commercialization and business development capabilities.\nThis collaboration also marks Xlife Sciences AG’s entry into the gene therapy market - a strategic move that expands its portfolio into high-potential therapeutic areas, as well as synergies with existing portfolio companies. It underscores the relevance and scalability of Xlife Sciences AG’s business model, highlighting its ability to initiate and advance innovative life sciences projects in partnership with established industry players. The project represents another milestone in validating Xlife Sciences' approach to e...