Annual Meeting Showcases AskBio’s Six Scientific Presentations at ASGCT 29th Annual Meeting
a gene therapy company that operates independently as a wholly owned subsidiary of Bayer AG, is preparing to present six scientific sessions at the upcoming American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT) 29th Annual Meeting. The annual conference, scheduled to take place from May 11 to May 15, 2026, in Boston, will bring together global leaders in gene and cell therapy research, clinical development, and biomanufacturing.
The company’s participation at ASGCT 2026 will highlight ongoing progress across multiple areas of gene therapy innovation, including investigational cardiovascular treatments, advanced viral vector manufacturing technologies, analytical quality control systems, and scalable adeno-associated virus (AAV) production techniques. AskBio’s subsidiary, will also showcase new developments designed to strengthen manufacturing precision, product consistency, and overall safety in recombinant AAV (rAAV) therapies.
The presentations reflect AskBio’s broader mission to advance next-generation AAV-based gene therapies for serious and life-threatening diseases that currently have limited treatment options. Through its expanding research portfolio, the company continues to focus on disorders such as congestive heart failure, limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, Parkinson’s disease, multiple system atrophy, and Pompe disease.
One of the major highlights of the meeting will take place on Friday, May 15, when Mansuo Shannon, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer at AskBio, co-chairs a scientific symposium titled “Gene Therapy for the Heart: Updates on Clinical Trials.” The symposium has been organized by the Cardiovascular Gene and Cell Therapy Committee and will focus on emerging therapeutic strategies targeting cardiovascular disease through gene therapy technologies.
During the symposium, Dr. Shannon will deliver a presentation discussing advances in an investigational protein phosphatase inhibitor-based gene therapy program for congestive heart failure. The session is expected to provide updates on the therapy’s scientific rationale, clinical progress, and potential implications for treating patients with advanced cardiac disease. Congestive heart failure remains one of the leading causes of hospitalization and mortality worldwide, making the development of innovative therapeutic approaches an important focus area within regenerative medicine and gene therapy research.
Another significant oral presentation from AskBio will feature new data from a Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating intracoronary cardiotropic AAV gene therapy in patients with advanced heart failure. The presentation, to be delivered by Luke Roberts, MBBS, PhD, Senior Medical Director of Clinical Development at AskBio, will examine safety outcomes, therapeutic efficacy, and immune response profiles associated with the investigational treatment.
The clinical insights presented at ASGCT could contribute to growing scientific understanding of how cardiotropic AAV vectors may be used to target heart tissue more effectively while maintaining favorable safety and tolerability profiles. Researchers across the industry continue to investigate AAV-based cardiovascular gene therapies as potential long-term treatment solutions capable of addressing underlying disease mechanisms rather than simply managing symptoms.
In addition to its therapeutic research presentations, AskBio and Viralgen will place considerable emphasis on manufacturing innovation and analytical science during the conference. As the gene therapy sector continues to mature, scalable and reproducible manufacturing systems have become increasingly important for supporting clinical development and future commercial supply.
Among the featured poster presentations, Viralgen researchers will present a multivariate approach to small-scale model qualification in upstream AAV manufacturing processes. The work aims to demonstrate how predictive modeling and advanced data science techniques can improve scalability and process optimization during AAV production. By strengthening the connection between small-scale process development and large-scale manufacturing outcomes, the approach could help reduce variability while improving production efficiency.
The presentation will be delivered by Ainara Apezteguia Garcia, Senior Data Scientist at Viralgen, and is expected to showcase how statistical and computational methodologies may support more robust manufacturing system design. Such innovations are becoming increasingly important as demand grows for high-quality viral vectors capable of supporting clinical trials and eventual commercial therapies.
Viralgen will also share research focused on analytical improvements for evaluating genome integrity in recombinant AAV products. One poster presentation will examine the repeatability and intermediate precision of a genome integrity assay that uses long-read sequencing technology. Presented by Emilie Lecomte, R&D Scientist at Viralgen, the research aims to demonstrate how advanced sequencing approaches can improve characterization of rAAV genomes and support higher standards of product quality assessment.
Long-read sequencing technologies are gaining attention across the gene therapy industry because they provide enhanced visibility into vector genome structures and integrity compared with traditional short-read approaches. Improved analytical capabilities may ultimately help manufacturers identify abnormalities more effectively and ensure greater consistency across therapeutic batches.
A second analytical science presentation from Viralgen will focus on a droplet digital PCR (ddPCR)-based method designed to quantify residual adenovirus early region 1A (E1A) genes in recombinant AAV products. The research, presented by María García, Quality Control Lead at Viralgen, will evaluate method validation and explore correlations between residual E1A fragments and total host cell DNA.
Residual impurity analysis remains a critical component of gene therapy manufacturing because it supports regulatory compliance and helps ensure product safety. By refining ddPCR-based quantification methods, Viralgen aims to strengthen analytical control systems and improve confidence in vector purity during AAV production workflows.
According to Gustavo Pesquin, Chief Executive Officer at AskBio, the company’s participation at ASGCT 2026 reflects a growing industry need to combine scientific innovation with manufacturing excellence and analytical rigor.
Pesquin emphasized that the future of gene therapy depends not only on discovering transformative therapies, but also on improving the ability to design, control, and scale manufacturing systems capable of delivering high-quality AAV products consistently. He noted that Viralgen’s research highlights efforts to integrate process development, analytical precision, and product quality into a unified manufacturing strategy that supports broader clinical and commercial goals.
He further explained that AskBio’s work presented at ASGCT demonstrates the company’s commitment to strengthening process understanding while deploying advanced analytical tools to enhance consistency and reliability across AAV manufacturing operations. These advancements, he said, are critical to unlocking the broader therapeutic potential of gene therapies and supporting improved clinical outcomes for patients worldwide.
AskBio’s scientific program at ASGCT 2026 includes three oral presentations and three poster presentations covering manufacturing science, cardiovascular gene therapy, vector analytics, and upstream production optimization.
The oral presentations include:
- “Plasmid Optimization Services: Key Insights from a Case Study Showing how to Successfully Manufacture an AAV Product,” presented by Leticia Agúndez, PhD, R&D Senior Manager at TAAV.
- “Safety, Efficacy and Immune Profile of Intracoronary Cardiotropic AAV Gene Therapy for Patients with Advanced Heart Failure: Insights from Phase 1 Trial,” presented by Luke Roberts, MBBS, PhD.
- “Protein Phosphatase Inhibitor for Congestive Heart Failure Gene Therapy – An Update,” presented by Mansuo Shannon, PhD.
The poster presentations include:
- “Repeatability and Intermediate Precision of a Genome Integrity Assay for rAAV by Long-read Sequencing,” presented by Emilie Lecomte.
- “Droplet Digital PCR (ddPCR)-Based Quantification and Fragment Analysis of Residual E1A in rAAV Products,” presented by María García.
- “Multivariate Approach to Small-Scale Model Qualification in Upstream AAV Production,” presented by Ainara Apezteguia Garcia.
As global investment in gene therapy continues to expand, companies across the biotechnology sector are increasingly focused on building reliable manufacturing ecosystems capable of supporting the next generation of precision medicines. AskBio and Viralgen’s presentations at ASGCT 2026 illustrate how advances in manufacturing science, analytical methodologies, and clinical research are converging to accelerate the development of innovative gene therapies for patients facing severe and often debilitating diseases.
Through continued investment in cardiovascular gene therapy, neurological disease research, and advanced AAV production systems, AskBio aims to contribute to the evolution of gene therapy from an emerging technology into a scalable therapeutic platform capable of reaching millions of patients around the world.
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