We develop new products and technologies that give Oxford Biomedica its competitive edge in delivering life-changing therapies to patients. Our department has three groups: early development, platform research, and translational sciences.

The Early Development Group (EDG) discover, design and develop new therapeutic products and technologies. Our Design and Discovery (DDG) and Cell Technology (CTG) teams develop new product and technology ideas and test their efficacy in vitro. With the Preclinical Studies team (PCS), they assess these candidates in vivo, in readiness for translation to the clinic.

This journey involves a range of techniques:

• molecular biology
• lentiviral vector production
• assay development
• cell culture, including primary cells
• flow cytometry;

along with knowledge of disease mechanisms in:

• metabolic disorders
• oncology
• cellular immunotherapies, including CAR-T cells 
• the nervous system.

We provide a pipeline of products for clinical development to improve patients’ lives; some of these patients have no other treatment options.

LentiVector™ combines the latest and most advanced technologies in gene therapy. The Platform Research Group (PRG) maintain this by:

• driving technological advances in vector design
• engineering production cells
• developing small scale process models
• using computer-aided biology
• developing core analytics.

We also support many client programmes, including:

• early phase feasibility studies
• trouble shooting and bespoke research services
• development and validation of analytical methods for QC release.

Our valuable services bring new technologies into manufacturing and development.

Translational Sciences Group (TSG)

Cell and Gene therapies offer the opportunity for long-term correction or cure of severe diseases. An understanding of the impact of the therapy on the patient is critical to ensure the safety and effectiveness of the product. TSG works to GxP standards to deliver high quality analytical testing on clinical and pre-clinical samples following treatment with gene or cell therapy products. We use these analytical methods:

• Flow cytometry
• qPCR
• ELISAs
• Western blotting
• cell culture.

By joining TSG, you will gain first-hand experience of how our cell and gene therapies impact on the patient and potentially play a role in developing even better products, thus helping OXB achieve its goal of delivering life changing gene therapies to patients.