Plasmid DNA and Minicircle DNA are critical starting materials for advanced therapeutic programs across e.g. cell and gene therapy and vaccine development, including applications such as CAR-T and other gene-modified cell therapies, virus-free gene transfer approaches, mRNA-based applications, and AAV vector manufacturing. Despite their central role, DNA is often considered a basic input early on until development slows down due to quality, scalability, or regulatory challenges.
In this webinar, Dr. Martin Schleef, the founder of PlasmidFactory shares insights from more than 25 years of supporting customer programs with plasmid and Minicircle DNA, from early research through GMP-compliant clinical supply. The focus is on how the right DNA strategy and the right partner can reduce risk and actively support program success.
Typical challenges addressed include insufficient transfection efficiency and unstable expression, unwanted bacterial sequences affecting safety and consistency, limitations of plasmid DNA in virus-free gene modification, and quality issues such as retro-packaging in AAV production or instability of ITR and poly(A) sequences. These challenges directly impact yields, reproducibility, regulatory acceptance, and overall timelines. Minicircle DNA and related technologies address these issues by enabling cleaner vectors, higher functional performance, improved safety profiles, and better suitability for clinical applications.
The webinar presents PlasmidFactory’s end-to-end approach, combining Minicircle DNA with proprietary technologies such as ITRRESCUE®, ITRPROTECT®, and POLYARESCUE®, supported by an integrated GMP manufacturing system. Through close scientific collaboration and long-term partnership, PlasmidFactory helps customers make DNA supply the most stable and lowest-risk element of their development programs.
Learning Objectives
After this webinar, participants will be able to:
- Understand how DNA quality directly affects performance, safety, and scalability
- Recognize how Minicircle-based solutions address common development challenges
- Evaluate how an end-to-end DNA partner can support programs from research to GMP
