Amyris Inc (NASDAQ:AMRS) has announced a deal with Biogen Inc (NASDAQ:BIIB) through which they will work together to come up with alternative cell lines that will facilitate the production of therapeutics.
The two firms will carry out research using the advanced microbe engineering technology from Amyris to find options for the mammalian cell lines. The alternative cell lines will be used to produce therapeutic recombinant proteins. Cynthia Bryant, the senior Vice President for Collaborations and Corporate Developments at Amyris stated that the firm is happy to sign the recent deal which marks the second largest partnership it has engaged in within the biopharma market.
Mammalian cell lines are often engineered using a fermentation process to produce the required protein in most of the recombinant protein therapeutics. There has been a lot of progress towards boosting productivity. However, the processes still encounter numerous limitations and thus the need for alternative solutions. Joel Cherry, the president of the research and development division at Amyris issued a statement revealing that the partnership will provide an avenue for his firm to make use of its leading screen technology and strain engineering. The firm will use these technologies to determine the manageability of every selected species as a potential cell line for the recombinant protein production.
Cherry further added that the selected candidates from the first phase will be included in the second stage of development to generate cell lines that are commercially strong enough to be used in drug manufacturing. The two firms believe that their partnership is vital for the success of the program. Their joint efforts will speed up the process and also provide vital resources necessary for the research to be carried out efficiently.
Amyris believes that the new deal will also allow them to overcome most of the limitations that have plagued the engineering of mammalian cell lines. The two firms are yet to reveal further details about their new partnership. Nevertheless, a lot of breakthroughs are expected from the joint operations.
