From Months to 24 Hours: MedTherapy’s Big Gene Therapy Promise
One of the biggest obstacles that researchers face in Gene Therapy is not the science behind it. While we continue to push the boundaries of genetics and medicine, we miss out on the most important aspect, called manufacturing. These therapies are slow, complex, and expensive. They can take weeks, and sometimes months, before a treatment is ready for a patient.
But now, biotech company MedTherapy is making a bold claim. It says it has found a way to tackle this major challenge. The company says it can manufacture some gene therapies in just one day. A process that usually takes weeks or even months could now be completed in 24 hours. If this claim proves true in real-world use, it could change the future of medicine in a way we have not seen before.
Dr. Bikesh Verma, CEO of MedTherapy, said Gene Therapy could define the future of medicine. He said it is not just about treating diseases, but about curing them by fixing problems at the genetic level instead of only managing symptoms over time.
Even after all the excitement around gene therapy, one problem remains constant: The Cost. Most of the treatments available in the market are too expensive. Due to this, only a small number of patients are able to afford them.
The traditional drugs can be produced in large batches, but not these therapies because the many gene and cell therapies are complex and highly personalized products.
For manufacturing these frequently, we need specialized facilities, advanced equipment, and highly trained personnel. Each step in this process is cost-effective and complex. That’s why MedTherapy’s bold statement grabbed the attention of the scientific community.
Dr. Verma said the company has reduced manufacturing timelines and costs by roughly 70%. This was all due to technology-driven improvements. In some cases, he said, production can be completed within a single day.
The company has not positioned itself as a developer of one specific therapy. Instead, it is building what it describes as a platform technology that can support multiple gene therapy programs across different disease areas.
Dr. Verma said that they are not focused on one product. They are working on developing a platform technology that will rewrite the future of medicine.
The strategy reflects a shift taking place across the biotech sector. Rather than building a business around a single asset, many companies are investing in platforms that can be applied to several therapies and used by multiple partners.
MedTherapy also sees an opportunity for India to play a larger role in the global Gene Therapy market. The company is pursuing collaborations with international organizations and believes the country can become a manufacturing hub for advanced therapies.
The company is currently focusing on only Cancer. They are working on therapies for blood cancers and solid tumors. While expanding its activities in both cell and gene therapy. One area receiving particular attention is CAR-T therapy, an approach that engineers a patient’s immune cells to attack cancer.
CAR-T treatments have delivered remarkable results in several blood cancers. Replicating that success in solid tumors, however, has proven far more difficult for researchers worldwide.
MedTherapy says it can help close this gap. The company is working on CAR-T therapies for solid tumors, an area where scientists around the world are still trying to get consistent results.
Dr. Verma highlighted the ongoing work with international collaborators, including partners in the United States. The most important thing to notice is that this is not just a scientific community problem. It’s a manufacturing issue, too, that most people overlook.
According to him, Gene Therapy is expensive mainly because it is not made in bulk. Many treatments are designed for individual patients, which makes production slower and more complex. The cost also goes up because scientists often use modified viruses to deliver the therapeutic genes into the body.
A lack of skilled workers is another problem. Dr. Verma says both India and the United States still do not have enough trained experts in advanced therapy manufacturing, which makes it hard to scale up production quickly.
For MedTherapy, the answer lies in technology and partnerships. He further added that this is possible due to the collaboration of technology and willpower.
The real test will be whether this approach works beyond small-scale production. If it does, it could help bring Gene Therapy to more patients. Across the industry, companies are searching for ways to cut costs and speed up manufacturing without compromising quality.
