VectorBuilder Obtains European Patent for "MiniVec™" Plasmid System
VectorBuilder announced it has obtained a European patent for its innovative plasmid backbone "MiniVec™," which enhances safety and manufacturing efficiency in the gene medicine field. MiniVec™ reduces reliance on antibiotics and chemical additives through its miniaturized vector backbone design, achieving both efficient large-scale manufacturing and high performance in therapeutic applications. It addresses diverse needs in advanced gene medicines like gene therapy, cell therapy, and vaccine development, contributing to reduced manufacturing costs and strengthened safety and regulatory compliance.
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- 📰 Published: May 5, 2026 at 16:00
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Summary: VectorBuilder announced it has obtained a European patent for its innovative plasmid backbone "MiniVec™," which enhances safety and manufacturing efficiency in the gene medicine field. MiniVec™ reduces reliance on antibiotics and chemical additives through its miniaturized vector backbone design, achieving both efficient large-scale manufacturing and high performance in therapeutic applications. It addresses diverse needs in advanced gene medicines like gene therapy, cell therapy, and vaccine development, contributing to reduced manufacturing costs and strengthened safety and regulatory compliance.
CHICAGO, USA (May 5, 2026)
VectorBuilder, a global leader in gene delivery technology and CDMO services, announced that it has obtained a European patent for its next-generation plasmid backbone, the "MiniVec™ Plasmid System," developed by the company.
MiniVec™ is a miniaturized plasmid backbone that minimizes unnecessary bacterial-derived sequences and features a design that does not rely on antibiotics or chemical additives. This simultaneously improves manufacturing efficiency, safety, and regulatory compliance in advanced medical fields such as gene therapy, cell therapy, and DNA vaccines.
As the practical application of regenerative medicine and gene therapy progresses, plasmid DNA is a crucial raw material that influences the quality and manufacturing efficiency of therapeutic drugs. MiniVec™ is designed to resolve issues with conventional plasmids, such as antibiotic resistance genes and protein-coding regions of unknown function, and is a vector system intended for pharmaceutical-grade use.
Dr. Bruce Lahn, Chief Scientific Officer at VectorBuilder, stated:
"Many manufacturing and regulatory challenges stem from the initial design of plasmids. MiniVec™ is a plasmid system designed from the outset with a focus on safety, consistency, and manufacturability, with clinical and commercial manufacturing in mind."
Improved Manufacturing Efficiency
MiniVec™ enhances plasmid amplification efficiency, showing up to a 3.5-fold increase in DNA yield by mass and up to a 4.2-fold increase by molar count. Its ability to be manufactured without antibiotics contributes to simplifying GMP manufacturing processes and reducing costs.
MiniVec™ shows increased plasmid yield compared to conventional plasmids. Measurement results of plasmid yield when E. coli cultures transformed with conventional or MiniVec™ plasmids from different expression systems were cultured under the same conditions in (A) lab scale (200 ml) or (B) industrial scale (2.7 L).
Efficacy in Therapeutic Applications
Improved performance has been confirmed in multiple applications, including lentiviral vectors, CRISPR genome editing, and transposon systems. In DNA vaccine models, an increase in antibody titers was observed, and in cell therapy, a significant improvement in T-cell electroporation efficiency was noted, also contributing to increased throughput and consistency in CAR-T manufacturing.
Safety and Regulatory Compliance
MiniVec™ has been evaluated in acute and repeated dose studies, with no significant immune reactions or side effects observed. Its design, which removes unnecessary gene sequences, also complies with FDA and EMA safety guidelines.
Following this European patent acquisition, patent acquisitions in major countries and regions, including Japan, are planned, and MiniVec™ is expected to play a foundational role as a core technology in next-generation gene medicine development.
The design philosophy and scientific basis of MiniVec™ are detailed in a preprint paper published on bioRxiv.
About VectorBuilder
VectorBuilder, a global pioneer in gene delivery technology, is an indispensable partner for thousands of research institutions, biotechnology companies, and pharmaceutical companies worldwide. It provides a wide range of gene delivery solutions that meet research and clinical needs at all stages, from basic research to clinical development. VectorBuilder focuses on improving the functionality, safety, and manufacturability of gene medicines by solving key challenges in current gene delivery technologies, such as low tissue specificity, immunogenicity, limited cargo size, and low manufacturing efficiency. This is supported by its proprietary AI-powered DeepCap platform. This platform combines machine learning and rational design with large-scale parallel exploration of distributed sequence space to engineer novel AAV capsids with best-in-class transduction efficiency and tissue specificity. Utilizing this platform, VectorBuilder has built an extensive AAV capsid panel that addresses a wide range of therapeutically important tissues, including the central nervous system, peripheral nervous system, muscle, heart, retina, and inner ear.
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CHICAGO, USA (May 5, 2026)
VectorBuilder, a global leader in gene delivery technology and CDMO services, announced that it has obtained a European patent for its next-generation plasmid backbone, the "MiniVec™ Plasmid System," developed by the company.
MiniVec™ is a miniaturized plasmid backbone that minimizes unnecessary bacterial-derived sequences and features a design that does not rely on antibiotics or chemical additives. This simultaneously improves manufacturing efficiency, safety, and regulatory compliance in advanced medical fields such as gene therapy, cell therapy, and DNA vaccines.
As the practical application of regenerative medicine and gene therapy progresses, plasmid DNA is a crucial raw material that influences the quality and manufacturing efficiency of therapeutic drugs. MiniVec™ is designed to resolve issues with conventional plasmids, such as antibiotic resistance genes and protein-coding regions of unknown function, and is a vector system intended for pharmaceutical-grade use.
Dr. Bruce Lahn, Chief Scientific Officer at VectorBuilder, stated:
"Many manufacturing and regulatory challenges stem from the initial design of plasmids. MiniVec™ is a plasmid system designed from the outset with a focus on safety, consistency, and manufacturability, with clinical and commercial manufacturing in mind."
Improved Manufacturing Efficiency
MiniVec™ enhances plasmid amplification efficiency, showing up to a 3.5-fold increase in DNA yield by mass and up to a 4.2-fold increase by molar count. Its ability to be manufactured without antibiotics contributes to simplifying GMP manufacturing processes and reducing costs.
MiniVec™ shows increased plasmid yield compared to conventional plasmids. Measurement results of plasmid yield when E. coli cultures transformed with conventional or MiniVec™ plasmids from different expression systems were cultured under the same conditions in (A) lab scale (200 ml) or (B) industrial scale (2.7 L).
Efficacy in Therapeutic Applications
Improved performance has been confirmed in multiple applications, including lentiviral vectors, CRISPR genome editing, and transposon systems. In DNA vaccine models, an increase in antibody titers was observed, and in cell therapy, a significant improvement in T-cell electroporation efficiency was noted, also contributing to increased throughput and consistency in CAR-T manufacturing.
Safety and Regulatory Compliance
MiniVec™ has been evaluated in acute and repeated dose studies, with no significant immune reactions or side effects observed. Its design, which removes unnecessary gene sequences, also complies with FDA and EMA safety guidelines.
Following this European patent acquisition, patent acquisitions in major countries and regions, including Japan, are planned, and MiniVec™ is expected to play a foundational role as a core technology in next-generation gene medicine development.
The design philosophy and scientific basis of MiniVec™ are detailed in a preprint paper published on bioRxiv.
About VectorBuilder
VectorBuilder, a global pioneer in gene delivery technology, is an indispensable partner for thousands of research institutions, biotechnology companies, and pharmaceutical companies worldwide. It provides a wide range of gene delivery solutions that meet research and clinical needs at all stages, from basic research to clinical development. VectorBuilder focuses on improving the functionality, safety, and manufacturability of gene medicines by solving key challenges in current gene delivery technologies, such as low tissue specificity, immunogenicity, limited cargo size, and low manufacturing efficiency. This is supported by its proprietary AI-powered DeepCap platform. This platform combines machine learning and rational design with large-scale parallel exploration of distributed sequence space to engineer novel AAV capsids with best-in-class transduction efficiency and tissue specificity. Utilizing this platform, VectorBuilder has built an extensive AAV capsid panel that addresses a wide range of therapeutically important tissues, including the central nervous system, peripheral nervous system, muscle, heart, retina, and inner ear.
Keywords: