Cell Therapy and Gene Therapy
At Bayer, all our actions are driven by our mission “Health for all, Hunger for none”. Our 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.
Our commitment to innovation is also reflected in our long-term investment into our subsidiary companies AskBio Inc. (AskBio) and BlueRock Therapeutics (BlueRock). These companies are the research and clinical development “engine” that fuels Bayer’s Cell Therapy as well as Bayer’s Gene Therapy Portfolio. These pioneers and subsidiary partners bring extensive knowledge and experience within their respective fields, pushing the boundaries of science in pursuit of transformative healthcare solutions.
They operate within a model that allows them to maintain their autonomy and independence, whilst also leveraging Bayer’s extensive clinical trial, global commercial and manufacturing experience.
This model preserves the entrepreneurial spirit as well as the scientific and clinical focus of AskBio and BlueRock, ultimately helping to drive the Bayer Cell Therapy as well as the Bayer Gene Therapy Portfolio and to deliver on our overarching mission.
We believe cell therapies as well as gene therapies have the potential to become ground-breaking treatments that could lead to transformative changes in healthcare systems, and most importantly, in patients’ lives.
Integrated teams across Bayer, AskBio, and BlueRock bring together complementary capabilities and shared expertise to drive development forward.
Cell Therapy
Cell Therapy involves replacing cells lost or damaged by disease, so called cell replacement therapies. They have the potential to stop or even reverse disease progression.
Bayer entered the field of cell therapy by acquiring BlueRock Therapeutics in 2019.
Gene Therapy
Gene Therapy involves delivering genetic material into a patient’s cells to address the causes of disease There are different ways that gene therapy may potentially work to help people living with a disease, including: introducing an active copy of a gene into the body to help treat a disease, turning off a “bad” gene that is causing disease or replacing a bad gene with a healthy copy of the gene.
In 2020, Bayer strengthened its commitment to this transformative field by acquiring AskBio Inc., a leader in gene therapy with over 750 patents and expertise in adeno-associated viruses (AAV).
BlueRock Therapeutics and AskBio Inc. are wholly owned and independently operated as subsidiaries of Bayer AG.