Minaris, a Philadelphia, PA-based global cell and gene therapy (CGT) CDMO and multimodal biosafety testing organization, and Asimov, a Boston, MA-based company building an AI-native synthetic biology platform, announced a partnership on September 24, 2026 enabling higher-performing producer cell lines for adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene therapy manufacturing. Through OXGENE, Minaris’ center of excellence for viral vector technology development, Asimov will incorporate Minaris’ proprietary technology into its AAV Edge producer cell line toolkit, combining Minaris’ manufacturability expertise with Asimov’s synthetic biology capabilities to address one of the industry’s most persistent bioproduction challenges.
Eytan Abraham, Chief Commercial & Technology Officer at Minaris, said: “Minaris is committed to enabling the cell and gene therapy industry through technology partnerships that raise the bar for manufacturing excellence. We believe in democratization of our technologies and creating a wide variety of solutions to enable the viral vector modality for patients, and are thrilled to enable Asimov in the creation of next-generation AAV producer cell lines.”
Moving AAV Production Off Transient Transfection
Most AAV programs today still rely on transient production, requiring multiple GMP plasmids to be transfected with every batch — a process that drives up costs, limits scalability, and can produce inconsistent quality. Stable production systems have historically been difficult to build because of the complexity and interdependency of AAV’s viral genetics. Asimov’s AAV Edge Stable Producer System is designed to solve that problem using genetic design expertise to build high-titer, clonal producer cell lines.
Raja Srinivas, Co-Founder at Asimov, said: “Stable producer cell lines are a key technology to enable AAV gene therapies at scale, and we are excited to partner with Minaris to unlock a new level of performance for our AAV Edge system. At Asimov, we have developed a genetic design toolkit that allows us to engineer high-titer cell lines, and we look forward to adding Minaris’s technology to this toolkit and building a production system purpose-built for the next generation of gene therapies.”
Part of a Broader Push Into Integrated Viral Vector Services
The partnership adds to Minaris’ positioning as an integrated viral vector development and manufacturing partner, pairing OXGENE’s proprietary technology with the company’s broader development, manufacturing, and testing capabilities spanning programs from early development through commercialization.
About Minaris
Minaris is a global cell and gene therapy CDMO and multimodal biosafety testing organization, with more than 25 years of CGT development and manufacturing expertise and more than 40 years in biosafety testing. A fully U.S.-owned organization under new ownership and management, Minaris operates through two divisions — Minaris Advanced Therapies and Minaris Advanced Testing — supporting partners from IND through commercial supply across five global sites on three continents.
About Asimov
Asimov is developing a synthetic biology platform, spanning cells to software, to design and manufacture next-generation therapeutics including biologics, cell and gene therapies, and RNA. Founded by bioengineers from MIT and Boston University and headquartered in Boston, the company has raised more than $200 million from institutional investors including Andreessen Horowitz, CPP Investments, Horizons Ventures, and Fidelity Management & Research Company.
