Gräfelfing near Munich, June 23, 2022: Munich-based start-up SIRION Biotech, whose success story began in 2006 at the Martinsried Biotechnology Innovation and Start-up Center (IZB), moved into its new research and administration center in Gräfelfing near Munich in January. With this expansion, SIRION Biotech triples its laboratory and office space. The goal is to advance the use of viral vectors in the development of vaccines and therapies. With the market approval of AstraZeneca’s COVID vaccine, viral vectors have become widely known. Thanks to novel gene and cell therapies using viral vectors, millions of patients worldwide can hope for therapies for either their rare genetic diseases or diseases triggered by unfavorable mutations as part of aging.

“Global demand for high-quality viral vectors is increasing and existing development capacity is scarce, so SIRION Biotech’s tripling of capacity in Gräfelfing is attracting global attention. We have already opened a new research lab in Heidelberg in 2020 and plan to do something similar in Boston in early 2023,” said Dr. Christian Thirion, CEO SIRION Biotech.

The Free State of Bavaria is proud of its early support for young life science companies, which has already created thousands of high-tech jobs. More than a hundred life science start-ups have been supported by various state agencies over the past 20 years. SIRION Biotech now employs more than 65 people, most of them in Munich. SIRION Biotech’s new laboratories can accommodate more than 120 employees working in the fields of molecular biology, cell culture, virus purification and analysis.

SIRION Biotech has developed over 7,000 such vectors to date for more than 200 therapy developers worldwide. Its technologies are used in over 20 clinical programs in the U.S., Europe and China. The company now has offices in Boston and Paris and works closely with representatives in Japan, Korea and Israel.

The globally successful biotech start-up was acquired in September 2021 by PerkinElmer, which values the company’s potential in developing viral vector tools for cell and gene therapy providers. PerkinElmer employs more than 14,000 people and offers extensive expertise in diagnostics, medical research, and environmental and food analysis through innovative detection, imaging, and informatics systems. PerkinElmer is based in the U.S. and is listed on NASDAQ. PerkinElmer is expanding its services and support for cell and gene therapy developers and sees great opportunities for SIRION Biotech’s advanced viral technologies, particularly through the expansion of facilities at its new site in Gräfelfing near Munich.