Virica Biotech
Virica Biotech specializes in the development of proprietary viral sensitizer compounds (VSe), a platform that to date consists of over 100 small molecules that enhance the manufacturing and efficacy of viruses for downstream applications such as gene therapy, oncolytic viral therapy, vaccines, and cell-therapy. The platform has evolved from research conducted at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI), a world-recognized leading centre in the translation of oncolytic virus therapies. With decades of experience developing viral medicines, Virica is solving some of the crucial development challenges facing viral medicine developers that are caused by the natural defenses that animal cells have against viruses. Numerous studies have shown that combinations of VSe molecules increase yields of several important virus types by between 2x to 100x, and can also enhance the production of therapeutic cells, such as CAR-T cells, which are time-consuming and costly to produce. In general, use of VSe technology can result in significant manufacturing efficiencies and cost-savings for our clients. Virica creates, licenses and sells unique formulations from its small molecule library to substantially enhance the efficiency of virus manufacturing processes and reduce cost of goods of its clients, which could span from pharma to biotech to contract manufacturing operations. Virica has obtained exclusive rights for the OHRI to commercialize VSe technology. This consists of a robust portfolio of five patents (both granted and pending) covering composition of matter and method of use of diverse small molecules in viral medicine manufacturing and therapeutic applications.
