Greffex, a leading genetic engineering company, announced a manufacturing agreement with FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies to produce vaccines in Texas.
Greffex is the primary investment in the Convergence Ventures LP I – the first fund in Convergence Ventures, which supports emerging Texas-based companies in health science and informatics. According to a report last month from the World Health Organization, Greffex is one of 100 candidate vaccines in preclinical evaluation to combat SARS-CoV-2, which is the cause of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Greffex’s platform is the world’s most successful gene therapy delivery vehicle (vector) with broad applications for delivering treatments including vaccines, immune suppression, and gene therapy. Last September, Greffex was awarded an $18.9 million contract from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health. The contract enables Greffex to develop and exploit its GreVac ™ Plug-And-Play Technology to expedite the production of vaccine candidates for biodefense and emerging infectious diseases.
"This partnership continues the tremendous growth we are seeing in the Brazos Valley Biocorridor, and we take pride each time we see announcements like this,” says Matt Prochaska, president and CEO of the Brazos Valley Economic Development Corporation. “Connecting with globally recognized researchers, utilizing clinical testing facilities, tapping into a pharmaceutical workforce pipeline, and taking advantage of biodefense and contract development manufacturing partnerships are all possible from 'The Hub of the Texas Triangle.'"
Harry Bushong, managing director of Convergence Ventures, also believes this to be an exciting milestone for his company.
“From the outset, it has been our commitment to fund biotech initiatives with roots in Texas, in order to keep intellectual property and the related jobs in our state,” says Bushong. “I’m excited about this agreement and what it will bring to Greffex and Texas.”
