OXB Selected as GMP Manufacturing Partner for Plowshare Therapies' AAV Gene Therapy Programme Targeting Rare Genetic Diseases
Key Insights
OXB (search) has signed an agreement with Plowshare Therapies (search) to provide process development and AAV GMP manufacturing services for rare genetic disease gene therapies.
Manufacturing will take place at OXB (search)'s FDA-approved, commercial-scale viral vector facility in Durham, North Carolina, acquired in October 2025.
Plowshare's lead programme, PLOW-101 (search), is a dual-gene therapy for maple syrup urine disease (search) (MSUD) types 1A and 1B with FDA Orphan Drug and Rare Pediatric Disease designations.
OXB (search) (LSE: OXB), a global quality and innovation-led cell and gene therapy contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO), announced on 16 July 2026 that it has signed an agreement with Plowshare Therapies (search), a biotechnology company focused on developing gene therapies for rare genetic diseases. Under the agreement, OXB will provide process development and AAV GMP manufacturing services to Plowshare, with the potential to support additional programmes and later-stage manufacturing as Plowshare's pipeline advances.
The partnership underscores the increasing global demand for OXB (search)'s end-to-end viral vector manufacturing capabilities and further demonstrates momentum across its AAV business and ongoing client base diversification.
Manufacturing at OXB (search)'s FDA-Approved US Facility
Plowshare's programme will be supported from OXB (search)'s FDA-approved, commercial-scale viral vector manufacturing facility in Durham, North Carolina. The site has emerged as a key hub for AAV manufacturing within OXB's global network and has attracted a significant number of new clients since its acquisition in October 2025. The collaboration highlights the strategic importance of OXB's expanded US footprint in meeting growing demand for viral vector manufacturing.
Dr. Sébastien Ribault, Chief Business Officer of OXB (search), stated: "This latest partnership demonstrates the strategic value of our expanded US manufacturing network and reflects the increasing momentum we are seeing across our AAV business since the acquisition. By combining our deep expertise in viral vector development and GMP manufacturing with Plowshare's innovative rare disease programme, we look forward to supporting the advancement of potentially transformative therapies for patients with significant unmet medical needs."
Plowshare's Lead Programme: PLOW-101 (search) for MSUD
Plowshare Therapies (search) is developing gene therapies for children with rare genetic diseases, with a mission to make transformative therapies affordable and accessible. Its lead programme, PLOW-101 (search), is a one-time, dual-gene therapy for maple syrup urine disease (search) (MSUD) types 1A and 1B — a life-threatening inherited metabolic disorder. The programme holds FDA Orphan Drug and Rare Pediatric Disease designations as it advances toward an Investigational New Drug (IND) application.
Kevin A. Strauss, MD, Founder and Chief Medical Officer of Plowshare Therapies (search), commented: "Plowshare was created alongside the community it serves to get the best therapeutic science to patients who need it most. For any child with a rare disease, we demand manufacturing of the highest rigour. In OXB (search), we found a partner whose standards match our own."
Shared Commitment and Deep Expertise
The partnership is rooted in a shared commitment between OXB (search) and Plowshare to advance transformative therapies for patients living with debilitating conditions, leveraging more than three decades of OXB's viral vector development and manufacturing expertise. OXB, one of the original pioneers in cell and gene therapy, offers capabilities spanning lentivirus, adeno-associated virus (AAV), adenovirus, and other viral vector types, supported by robust quality-assurance systems, analytical methods, and depth of regulatory expertise.
OXB (search)'s technology portfolio includes a 4th generation lentiviral vector system (the TetraVecta™ system), a dual-plasmid system for AAV production, suspension and perfusion processes using process enhancers, and stable producer and packaging cell lines. The company, a FTSE 250 and FTSE4Good constituent headquartered in Oxford, UK, operates development and manufacturing facilities across Oxfordshire, UK, Lyon and Strasbourg, France, Bedford, MA, and Durham, NC, US.