VVMF provides solutions for unmet medical needs requiring the benefit of viral vector derived advanced therapeutics.
The New South Wales Government invested round AUS$134.5m ($88.2m) to establish VVMF at Westmead, Western Sydney in February 2024.
VVMF manufactures viral vector products for research and clinical trials, supporting the current absence of GMP-licensed viral vector manufacturers in Australia.
VVMF will meet the increasing demand for clinical-grade viral vectors essential for gene therapy and cell therapy research, as well as clinical trials both domestically and internationally.
The facility is a collaborative effort involving the NSW Treasury, Investment NSW and various NSW Health entities is part of Sydney’s Westmead Health and Innovation District – an integrated hub that includes hospitals, medical research institutes and university campuses, providing a single point of entry to a network of globally recognised companies in cell and gene therapy services.
VVMF is the first commercial manufacturing facility of its kind in Australia, being uniquely integrated in the largest health, education, research and innovation precinct in the country.
Backed by a world-class clinical trial ecosystem, VVMF will design, develop and manufacture viral vector solutions for companies, customers and patients in partnership – pitched as perfectly placed to become a regional catalyst for viral vector research and innovation together with commercial-scale delivery of viral vectors to APAC and the world.
This will be achieved by world leading viral vector experts, globally approved regulatory standards, optimised processes and consistency of quality at its core.
VVMF provides solutions for unmet medical needs requiring the benefit of viral vector derived advanced therapeutics.
Stephen Thompson – who’s leadership experience includes Baxter International Inc, Icon Group, Nestlé, Pacific Dunlop and Proctor & Gamble – was announced as inaugural VVMF CEO in July 2024.
VVMF Chief Technology Officer is Prof. Leszek Lisowski PhD / MBA – a world vectorology expert with over 20 years of experience in developing, manufacturing, functional validation and translation of viral vectors for human gene therapies.
Prof. Lisowski established and ran the Vector and Genome Engineering Facility (VGEF) and set up his independent research program, the Translational Vectorology Research Unit (TVRU) having been recruited by the Children’s Medical Research Institute (CMRI) / The University of Sydney to do so.
VVMF Chief Medical Officer is Prof. Ian Alexander, a Professor in Paediatrics and Molecular Medicine at the University of Sydney, Senior Staff Specialist in Genetic Medicine at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, and Head of the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network and Children’s Medical Research Institute Gene Therapy Research Unit.
Prof. Alexander has dedicated his career to the development of novel therapies for infants and children with devastating genetic disease and is internationally renowned for his leadership in pioneering the gene therapy field in Australia.
