The collaboration, financial terms of which have not been disclosed, will combine the firms’ GPEx and CAP-Technology protein expression systems into a platform designed to generate high yield, human cell lines.
The amniocytes used in Cevec’s platform are amniotic fluid cells harvested during amniocentesis that have been immortalised and modified to contain sequences derived from an adenovirus, E1 and pIX, that provide insert points for genes during genetic modification.
Catalent’s GPEx system is, in contrast, is a vector technology that can recognise such sequence and be used to insert genes of interest into a desired cell lines for commercial-scale bio manufacturing.
Combining the two technologies could offer significant advantages for biomanufacturers according to Cevec managing director Wolfgang Kintzel who said that in pilot studies “we achieved yields exceeding 3 g/L for a very complex protein produced in our human production cell lines in a very short timeframe.”
He added that: “The combined offering is a very compelling value proposition for clients looking to outsource cell line development and potential downstream cGMP upscaling while looking for the highest quality using a human cell line.”
This was echoed by Scott Houlton, president of development and clinical services, who predicted that the partnership “will offer biotech companies developing recombinant proteins and antibodies the advantage of two technologies in one system, enabling them to get a clone candidate in less than 5 months and significantly reducing their time to clinic.”
The partnership follows just weeks after a similar cell line development services agreement signed by Florida-based contract manufacturing organisation (CMO), Goodwin Biotechnology (GBI) and protein and monoclonal antibody drug developer, Rafagen.
It also comes hot on the heels of the formation of Life Technologies’ partnership with German contract research organisation (CRO) ProBiogen, which is focused on the development of royalty-free Gibco Freedom Cell Line Development Kits.