Selexis says $2m investment will speed up cell bank delivery time
The $2m (€1.6) investment will help the Switzerland-headquartered develop technologies and procedures aimed at reducing the 14-week process.
“We believe by combining whole-genome sequencing with novel clonal selection technologies, we can deliver an RBC [research cell bank] in eight to nine weeks,” CEO Igor Fisch told us.
“This can have a huge impact on helping partners get their promising candidates into the clinic faster,” he added.
A shift in demand
Fisch told us he has observed a shift in demand from monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to more complex proteins, such as bi-specifics and FC-fusions.
This includes biotherapeutic proteins – that can be difficult-to-express in CHO (Chinese hamster ovary) cells – such as bi-specific proteins, DARPins, triabodies, and novel scaffolds decorated with peptides, enzymes, or growth factors, he said.
“We have spent a lot of time interrogating and characterizing our propriety CHO-K1 cell line (CHO-M),” he added.
In May last year, Selexis opened its cell line development laboratory in Geneva, Switzerland. The following month, Selexis was acquired by contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) JSR Life Sciences.
In the same year, Selexis signed deals with Merck KGaA, Pelican Therapeutics, and Sanofi, and this year entered an agreement with Compugen and resigned Xencor to boost their cell line development programmes.
