Lonza Biologics extends licence for cell line technology
Molecular Systems for non-exclusive access to the Canadian firm's
ACE System, technology that speeds up the time researchers need to
isolate cell lines.
The ACE, or artificial chromosome expression, system is a gene-delivery technology used to generate high-expressing cell lines for protein production and is claimed to offer improved speed and protein yields over rival platforms.
An initial agreement with Lonza Biologics in 2002 allowed the firm to assess the value of the technology. The firm, a division of the Swiss chemicals company Lonza, is the world's leading contract manufacturer of monoclonal antibodies and recombinant proteins.
The agreement has now been extended until the fourth quarter of this year, with an option to license the ACE System with Lonza's GS System for use in cellular protein production.
The UK's Cambridge Antibody Technology also licensed the Chromos technology in a deal last year.
The global market for monoclonal antibodies is expected to grow by 30 per cent a year to more than $20 billion by 2010 but current antibody production techniques are not expected to meet future demand for production capacity, according to Chromos.
