Exclusive licensing agreement announced for production of recombinant proteins

Producer of tailor-made recombinant glycoproteins and gene therapy vectors, CEVEC Pharmaceuticals, and global biotechnology company, CSL, have announced an exclusive licensing agreement to produce a recombinant C1 Esterase Inhibitor.

Under the terms of the agreement, CEVEC grants an exclusive license for the development, manufacture and commercialisation of CAPGo-derived C1-INH proteins to CSL. Additionally, CEVEC will provide its expertise in the development and use of CAPGo cell lines expressing C1-INH and in optimising the expression of highly glycosylated and difficult to produce proteins.

This licensing agreement is the result of an ongoing collaboration between the companies that yielded initial data on the significant potential of the CAPGo technology to enable the development of a differentiated recombinant C1-INH product candidate.

“The agreement with CSL is a further endorsement of our unique human expression system with the intention to take our CAPGo technology to the next level of implementation for the production of difficult to express recombinant proteins,” said Dr Nico Scheer, chief business officer of CEVEC Pharmaceuticals. “Its outstanding characteristics in terms of authentic and tailor-made glycosylation capabilities, high yield production of complex proteins and scalability, combined with its IP protection and the complete documentation of the CAP cells make the CAPGo technology the ideal choice for industrial scale production of glyco-optimised proteins. We are looking forward to supporting CSL with this exciting project.”

“At CSL, we are patient-focused and we are driven by our promise to patients. CEVEC's CAPGo technology provides us with the opportunity to develop an innovative and differentiated recombinant and glyco-optimised C1-INH protein for HAE and potential other indications. The potential increase in convenience and quality of life for patients will help us further expand our position in this very important market,” added Dr Andrew Nash, Senior Vice President Research, CSL.

Financial details of the agreement have not been disclosed.