AskBio Announces 6 Presentations at American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT) 29th Annual Meeting

Durham, N.C., May 07, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

Three oral and 3 poster presentations demonstrate progress of AskBio’s gene therapy research, development, and manufacturing activities
Viralgen continues its pioneering work in manufacturing science with advancements in key process understanding with analytical tools

AskBio Inc. (AskBio), a gene therapy company wholly owned and independently operated as a subsidiary of Bayer AG, will deliver 6 presentations at the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT) 29^th Annual Meeting, which takes place May 11–15, 2026, in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. The company’s oral and poster presentations will provide updates on important research activities in gene therapy, as well as subsidiary Viralgen’s advancements in manufacturing capabilities.

On Friday, May 15, Mansuo Shannon, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer at AskBio, will co-chair a scientific symposium titled, “Gene Therapy for the Heart: Updates on clinical trials,” organized by the Cardiovascular Gene and Cell Therapy Committee. Within the symposium, she will present an update on protein phosphatase inhibitor-based investigational gene therapy for congestive heart failure.

In addition, a key Viralgen presentation will showcase a multivariate approach to small-scale model qualification in upstream manufacturing, which may enable predictive and scalable process design. Complementing this, the company will present data highlighting analytical advances, including long-read sequencing to assess genome integrity and a droplet digital PCR (ddPCR)-based method to quantify the residual adenovirus early region 1A (E1A) gene derived from the Pro10^TM cells that may remain in recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) samples, demonstrating enhanced control over vector quality and safety. These developments underscore Viralgen’s commitment to advancing the robustness of AAV manufacturing and the broader scientific understanding underpinning gene therapies.

“Advancing gene therapy requires more than scientific innovation. It demands a step-change in how we design, control, and scale our manufacturing science,” said Gustavo Pesquin, Chief Executive Officer at AskBio. “Viralgen continues to progress manufacturing science by strengthening the link between process development, analytical precision, and product quality in AAV production. Our work being presented at ASGCT 2026 reflects our efforts to combine deeper process understanding with analytical tools to enhance quality, consistency, and confidence in AAV products, which are critical as we seek to unlock the potential of gene therapies, lead science, and investigate clinical outcomes to help transform people's lives.”

AskBio’s presentations at ASGCT include (all times EDT):

Orals

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, TAAV. Wednesday, May 13,10:15–10:30 a.m., Exhibit Hall Presentation Theater.
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, Senior Medical Director, Clinical Development, AskBio. Friday, May 15, 3:45–4:00 p.m., MCEC Room 210ABC (Level 2).
Protein Phosphatase Inhibitor for Congestive Heart Failure Gene Therapy – An Update. Presented by Mansuo Shannon, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, AskBio. Friday, May 15, 4:30–5:00 p.m., MCEC Room 162AB (Level 1).

Posters

Repeatability and Intermediate Precision of a Genome Integrity Assay for rAAV by Long-read Sequencing. Presented by Emilie Lecomte, R&D Scientist, Viralgen. Tuesday, May 12, 5:00–6:30 p.m., MCEC Exhibit and Poster Hall (Halls B2-C, Exhibit Level).
Droplet Digital PCR (ddPCR)-Based Quantification and Fragment Analysis of Residual E1A in rAAV Products: Method Validation and Correlation with Total Host Cell DNA. Presented by María García, Quality Control Lead, Viralgen. Tuesday, May 12, 5:00–6:30 p.m. MCEC Exhibit and Poster Hall (Halls B2-C, Exhibit Level).
Multivariate Approach to Small-Scale Model Qualification (SSMQ) in Upstream (USP) Adeno-Associated Virus (AAV) Production. Presented by Ainara Apezteguia Garcia, Senior Data Scientist, Viralgen. Thursday, May 14, 5:00–6:30 p.m., MCEC Exhibit and Poster Hall (Halls B2-C), Exhibit Level.

AskBio continues to develop an ambitious portfolio of investigational AAV-based gene therapies to treat several serious diseases around the world, including congestive heart failure, limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, multiple system atrophy, Parkinson’s disease, and Pompe disease. By targeting these therapy areas, AskBio aims to deliver innovative treatments that may possibly benefit tens of millions of patients worldwide.^1–6

About AskBio

AskBio Inc., a wholly owned and independently operated subsidiary of Bayer AG, is a fully integrated gene therapy company dedicated to steering gene therapy into a new era where it can transform the lives of a wider range of people living with rare and more common diseases. The company maintains a portfolio of clinical programs across a range of disease indications related to a single gene or multiple factors across cardiovascular, central nervous system, and neuromuscular conditions, with a clinical-stage pipeline that includes investigational therapeutics for heart failure, limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, multiple system atrophy, Parkinson’s disease, and Pompe disease. AskBio’s end-to-end gene therapy platform includes our Pro10™ technology and Aava™ manufacturing platform, which make gene therapies more accessible by making research and commercial grade manufacturing more affordable. With global headquarters in Durham, North Carolina, the company has generated hundreds of proprietary capsids and promoters, several of which have entered pre-clinical and clinical testing. An early innovator in the gene therapy field with over 900 employees in five countries, the company holds more than 600 patents and patent applications in areas such as AAV production and chimeric capsids. Learn more at http://www.askbio.com/ or follow us on LinkedIn.

About Viralgen

Viralgen is a leading contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) specializing exclusively in adeno-associated virus (AAV)–based gene therapies. Founded in 2017 as a subsidiary of AskBio Inc. within the Bayer AG group, Viralgen provides end-to-end support from early development through large-scale commercial production. Leveraging its proprietary Pro10™ suspension cell line and Aava™ manufacturing platform, Viralgen achieves industry-leading, high-yield, scalable manufacturing across all AAV serotypes. Located in San Sebastián, Spain, its state-of-the-art facility includes three cGMP suites with 2,000-liter capacity each, certified by the AEMPS/EMA, and integrates services such as plasmid production, process optimization, fill-finish, and in-house QC testing. With more than 1,500 AAV batches produced, Viralgen delivers reliable, efficient solutions that help bring life-changing gene therapies to patients with greater speed and consistency. For more information, visit https://viralgen.com/.

About Bayer

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. In line with its mission, “Health for all, Hunger for none,” the company’s products and services are designed to help people and the planet thrive by supporting efforts to master the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. Bayer is committed to driving sustainable development and generating a positive impact with its businesses. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. The Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2025, the Group employed around 88,000 people and had sales of 45.6 billion euros. R&D expenses amounted to 5.8 billion euros. For more information, go to www.bayer.com.

AskBio Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains “forward-looking statements.” Any statements contained in this press release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Words such as “believes,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “expects,” “will,” “intends,” “potential,” “possible,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements regarding AskBio’s clinical trials. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond AskBio’s control. Known risks include, among others: AskBio may not be able to execute on its business plans and goals, including meeting its expected or planned clinical and regulatory milestones and timelines, its reliance on third-parties, clinical development plans, manufacturing processes and plans, and bringing its product candidates to market, due to a variety of reasons, including possible limitations of company financial and other resources, manufacturing limitations that may not be anticipated or resolved in a timely manner, potential disagreements or other issues with our third-party collaborators and partners, and regulatory, court or agency feedback or decisions, such as feedback and decisions from the United States Food and Drug Administration or the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Any of the foregoing risks could materially and adversely affect AskBio’s business and results of operations. You should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. AskBio does not undertake any obligation to publicly update its forward-looking statements based on events or circumstances after the date hereof.

References

Balestrino R andSchapira AHV. Parkinson disease. Eur J Neurol. 2020;27(1):27-42.
World Health Organization. Parkinson Disease. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/parkinson-disease. Accessed May 2026.
Shams P, Malik A, Chhabra L. Heart Failure (Congestive Heart Failure) [Updated 2025 Feb 26]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2026 Jan.
MedlinePlus Genetics. NIH. Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy. Available at: https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/condition/limb-girdle-muscular-dystrophy/#frequency. Accessed May 2026.
Goh Y, Saunders E, Pavey S, et al. Multiple system atrophy. [published online ahead of print, 2023 Mar 16]. Pract Neurol. 2023; practneurol-2020-002797.
Stevens D, Milani-Nejad S, and Mozaffar T. Pompe Disease: a Clinical, Diagnostic, and Therapeutic Overview. Curr Treat Options Neurol. 2022;24(11):573-588.

Phil McNamara
AskBio Inc. (AskBio)
+1 (984) 5207211
pmcnamara@askbio.com

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