PCI Biotech Holding ASA (0JGL) Q2 2025 Earnings Call

Investor webinar replay

Replay transcript excerpt

Good morning, and welcome to PCI Biotech's first half year 2025 presentation. My name is Ronny Skukedal, and with me today is Morten Lur, CSO. Let's take a look at our important notice and disclaimer. First, Morten will take a look at the operational part. Then there will be some finance and status, and then we have a question and answer round at the end. It is possible to send in questions via webcast to the console, and I encourage you to start sending in questions now, so that we have them in place until we get there. Then I give the floor to Morten. Good morning. PC Biotech has worked on developing new technology to increase productivity in the production of AAV gene therapy to make these treatments more accessible. AAV gene therapy builds on an adeno-associated virus that has been modified to deliver genetic medicine to patients. In this context, the virus is called a viral vector. The typical target group for AAV gene therapy is people who have a rare mutated mutation that causes serious illness. Here you can see the process for the production of AAV gene therapy. AAV is produced by living cells in a biovector. In the upstream process, the viral vectors are produced and are pumped up into the cells. to be able to separate the virus vectors from the cells, the cells must be opened up with the help of a process called cellolysis. Cellolysis opens up the cells so that the virus vectors are freed, shown in the figure to the right. The difficult balance is to get the AAV out without the AAV itself being destroyed, and that it does not follow too many irregularities from the production cells. Today's solutions do not reach this balance in a good way. In the downstream process, the virus vectors are cleaned in several steps, where 70% loss of gene therapy is common. I...