Precision gene delivery remains one of the greatest challenges in modern medicine. A Basel-based biopharma company, Vector BioPharma, has accepted the challenge and, with cutting-edge technology from the University of Zürich, is developing a revolutionary new way to deliver the right genes to the right place at the right time. Vector BioPharma aims to be the pioneer in delivering future medicines with this technology, now under development in multiple areas of urgent medical need.

As a late-stage investor focusing on the European bioeconomy, the ECBF is carefully assessing the maturity of any technology, but more important than maturity is the ability to reach commercial scale. What governs that scale-up, and how do we assess it? What role does the TRL score play, and what key questions do we ask? An excerpt into a framework.