Theragen and GenVec combine stables

Theragen and GenVec combine stables One of the many dangers facing start-up companies is that the failure of one technology will leave the company with no fall-back position or that their technology base will prove to be too narrow to support a successful business. The search for a technology platform was the driving force behind the merger last week of two privately held gene therapy companies, Theragen Inc. and GenVec Inc.

The merger began as a hunt for a partnership, when Theragen decided that its herpes vector might have applications in the cancer field. The Princeton, N.J., company concluded that it didn't have the resources to explore the opportunity and initiated discussions with GenVec. Those talks resulted in a decision to merge Theragen into Genvec...