VectorBuilder, a global leader in gene delivery technologies, and Lir Therapeutics, a company pushing the boundaries of vector engineering with AI, today announced a strategic collaboration to develop adeno-associated virus (AAV) capsids designed not only for strong biological performance, but also for the manufacturability and scalability required to bring gene therapies into the clinic.

The partnership brings together VectorBuilder’s expertise in AAV discovery, capsid engineering, process development and GMP manufacturing with Lirs’ proprietary nAAVigator® artificial intelligence platform. Together, the companies will optimize promising AAV capsids across the entire development process, from computational design and laboratory validation through manufacturing and clinical translation.

Despite rapid advances in gene therapy, many promising capsids fail to progress beyond early development. Capsids engineered for improved tissue targeting or potency can prove difficult to manufacture at scale, while gains in biological performance often come with compromises in yield, product quality or dosing. Addressing these challenges has become one of the field’s biggest priorities.

Rather than treating manufacturability as something to solve later, VectorBuilder and Lir Therapeutics are taking a different approach: engineering it into the vector from the beginning.

Under the collaboration, Lir will apply its AI-powered nAAVigator® platform and lab-in-the-loop optimization workflow to enhance selected capsids discovered through VectorBuilder’s DeepCap™ platform. Instead of designing entirely new vectors, the companies will enhance high-performing capsids already showing strong biological potential, refining them to improve manufacturability while preserving or enhancing their therapeutic performance.

The collaboration will focus on engineering capsids that can:

  • Improve manufacturing productivity and process robustness

  • Increase full capsid yield and product quality

  • Lower therapeutic dose requirements

  • Enhance tissue specificity while reducing off-target delivery and immune recognition

Lir’s process integrates computational protein engineering with real-world experimental validation. Working with VectorBuilder, the companies will drive nAAVigator®‘s rapid development flywheel forward, improving vector performance across multiple dimensions simultaneously

“Gene therapy doesn’t just need better capsids, it needs capsids that can make it all the way to patients,” said Dr. Bruce Lahn, Chief Scientist of VectorBuilder. “Too often, promising vectors run into challenges as programs move from discovery into manufacturing and clinical development. By combining our expertise in capsid engineering and translational development with Lir Therapeutics’ AI platform, we’re aiming to solve those challenges earlier and build vectors that perform across the entire development journey.”

“AI only creates value if it helps solve real biological problems,” said Killian Hanlon, Chief Executive Officer of Lir Therapeutics. “Our mission at Lir is to revolutionise viral vector engineering by simultaneously addressing gene therapy’s biggest challenges – dose reduction, tissue targeting and immune evasion. It’s exciting to work with VectorBuilder, and show how our AI-driven design can take even high-potential, clinically relevant capsids and improve across biological function, manufacturability and translational potential.”

As artificial intelligence becomes an increasingly important tool in gene therapy research, both companies believe the greatest advances will come from combining computational design with deep experimental expertise and real-world development. By bringing these capabilities together, the collaboration aims to produce vectors that are not only more biologically effective but also practical to manufacture, scale, and translate into clinical programs.

The partners will initially evaluate multiple lead capsids across selected therapeutic applications using iterative AI-guided engineering, experimental validation and manufacturing assessment. The resulting data will support continued optimization of VectorBuilder’s capsid portfolio while creating new opportunities for therapeutic partnerships.

Together, VectorBuilder and Lir are advancing a more integrated approach to AAV development – one that considers biological performance, manufacturability and clinical translation from the very beginning. Because the best vector isn’t simply the one that performs in the laboratory; it’s the one that can ultimately cure patients.

About VectorBuilder

VectorBuilder is a global leader in gene delivery technologies. As a trusted partner in thousands of labs and biotech/pharma companies around the world, VectorBuilder is a one-stop shop for the design, development, and optimization of gene delivery solutions from basic research to clinical applications. Its award-winning Vector Studio is a transformative innovation that allows researchers to easily design and order custom vectors online, freeing them from the tedious work of cloning and packaging vectors in the lab. The global company boasts high-throughput vector production capacity, vast vector and component inventories, one-on-one CRO solutions that include advanced AAV capsid engineering capabilities, and state-of-the-art GMP manufacturing facilities. With leading R&D and CDMO capabilities, the VectorBuilder team strives to provide the most effective gene-delivery solutions and develop innovative tools for life sciences research and genetic medicine.

About Lir Therapeutics

Lir is a techbio company pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with viral vectors. Through the combined development cycle of its nAAVigator® AI pipeline and tightly integrated lab-in-the-loop, Lir is building the next generation of viral vectors for gene therapy and beyond. Starting with AAV, Lir is taking a holistic AI approach editing across the entire virus and is tackling the three biggest challenges facing gene therapy – high doses, off-target effects and pre-existing immunogenicity – all at once. Lir is actively partnering with companies building gene therapies, to develop or enhance viral vectors and create more potent, safer drugs for patients.

https://www.lirtx.com/

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