AstraZeneca licenses mAb production tech from Lonza and BioWa
The agreement – financial terms of which were not disclosed – enables MedImmune to use the Potelligent CHOK1SV cell line for ‘multiple’ therapeutic antibody drug candidates it is developing.
AstraZeneca’s has been using BioWa’s Potelligent technology – which is used to boost the binding affinity of an antibody by reduce the amount of the sugar fucose present in carbohydrate structure – structure since 2007.
The new agreement adds a Chinese hamster ovary cell line that BioWa and Lonza co-developed to the existing deal.
AstraZeneca – through MedImmune - is the second Big Pharma firm to license the antibody production technology this year behind US rival Pfizer, which announced that it will use the system to make candidate biopharmaceutical this summer.
Like Pfizer, AstraZeneca will use the technology in combination with Lonza's 'Xceed' production system, which is the latest version of the GS manufacturing programme that the Swiss ingredients and life science suppliers firm launched in July last year.
Lonza spokesman Dominik Werner told BioPharma-Reporter.com that as part of the deal the firm will provide full technical support for cell line development.
He also stressed that: “The Potelligent CHOK1SV cell line retains the desirable features of a high-productivity cell line,” citing its scalability and the fact in can be used in conjunction with a wide range of bioreactor systems among its advantages.
Werner declined to say whether process and cell development know how gained by Lonza through its work with other licensees would be shared with AstraZeneca under the new agreement.
