Catalent and Australian biomarker firm teams on prostate cancer ADC
Minomic ia an Australian biomarker discovery company specialising in in-vitro-diagnostics, diagnostic imaging and therapeutics for prostate cancer, and under the agreement Catalent will produce the antibody for a clinical study using its GPEx technology platform.
“GPEx technology offers many advantages compared to conventional cell line engineering systems, including increased flexibility and higher, more stable yields,” said President of Advanced Delivery Technologies for Catalent, Barry Littlejohns.
“Early signs in the study are extremely encouraging,” Brad Walsh, CEO of Minomic, added. “We are pleased to be working with Catalent on this exciting project as Catalent’s flexibility on smaller cGMP batch production allows material supply quickly and efficiently.”
The deal, of which financial details were not made public, also includes scope for larger scale manufacturing - depending on the success of initial clinical studies – from Catalent’s biomanufacturing site in Madison, Wisconsin, which opened its doors last year after being purchased from GE Healthcare in 2011.
Like other contract development and manufacturing organisations (CDMOs) – Fujifilm, Piramal, Lonza and Carbogen Amcis - Catalent has been investing in its ADC capabilities and technologies. In April 2013, Catalent acquired the license to Redwood Bioscience’s SMARTag ADC conjugation technology, and earlier this year told this publication it was upping its stake in the Californian biotech.
