Cell and Gene Therapy: Managing the ‘Build or Buy’ Decision

November 8, 2022

Dave Backer, founder of DB Biologics and former chief commercial officer at Oxford Biomedica, speaks with moderator Ben Locwin, vice president of project solutions at Black Diamond Networks, about the complex business and technological decisions companies face when navigating supply chain issues in the cell and gene therapy (CGT) market. Today’s companies must decide whether to build new facilities and produce their own supplies, continue buying from CDMOs despite excessive lead times, or choose a hybrid model.

In this episode, Backer outlines the critical factors every CGT company should consider before venturing into manufacturing. He talks about why companies must think of plasma, lentivirus, and autologous cell therapy lines as separate entities, the value of developing solid partnerships with CDMOs, and how a hybrid model can protect intellectual property while still maximizing productivity.

Dave Backer, MBA, Founder, DB Biologics and former Chief Commercial Officer, Oxford Biomedica
Dave Backer has been involved in gene and cell therapies for 25 years, starting as owner and founder of Molecular Medicine BioServices, a CDMO that began in the late 1990s and focused on the GMP manufacturing of viral vectors from its base in Carlsbad, CA. The site remains the center of excellence for viral vector production within MilliporeSigma, which acquired the business as part of its purchase of Sigma Aldrich. Next, Backer broadened into celled therapy and gene editing as head of commercial development within MilliporeSigma’s “Promise Venture,” which focused on CGT products and services. Backer was the chief commercial officer at Oxford Biomedica before recently founding a new company, DB Biologics. Before joining Oxford Biomedica, he was the SVP of commercial development at ElevateBio, a technology company that centralized CMC-related functions for partially or wholly owned companies and more traditional CMO services for select strategic partners.

Sponsor:

Lykan Bioscience is an innovative contract development and manufacturing services organization (CDMO) focused on cell-based therapies with decades of biopharmaceutical industry experience. Located in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, 25 miles southwest of downtown Boston and in the proximity of four international airports, Lykan Bioscience is ideally situated to deliver life-saving cell therapy treatments to patients on behalf of their partners. Visit www.lykanbio.com.