Patent granted to CAP-Go technology for recombinant glycoproteins

CEVEC Pharmaceuticals, producer of tailor-made recombinant glycoproteins and gene therapy vectors, has been granted a patent for its expression technology CAP-Go, strengthening the company’s position in producing recombinant proteins with tailor-made glycosylation.

The patent, ‘O-glycan sialylated recombinant glycoproteins and cell lines for producing the same’, broadly protects genetically engineered cell lines for the production of O-glycosylated proteins with a significantly improved plasma half-life. Commercially relevant proteins which benefit from the new technology include: C1 esterase inhibitor (C1Inh), several blood coagulation factors, erythropoietin and others.

This new patent relates to the company’s successful project to produce a recombinant C1Inh with a favourable pharmacokinetic profile. C1Inh, traditionally purified from human blood plasma, is a promising candidate for a variety of medical applications and is already in use for the treatment of a rare but life-threatening genetic disorder, hereditary angioedema (HAE).

“We are excited about the granting of this patent, as it constitutes another pillar of our strategy to establish CAP-Go as the industry standard for the production of difficult-to-express recombinant proteins,” commented Nico Scheer, chief business officer of CEVEC. “With the expected granting of similar claims in other parts of the world and additional patent applications currently in our pipeline, we are further strengthening our leading role in addressing the increasing need for the efficient manufacturing of complex recombinant glycoproteins, and we are on track to take a dominant position in providing the most preferred solution for the production of recombinant proteins previously out of reach.”

Nicole Faust, CEVEC’s chief executive officer & chief scientific officer added: “The CAP-Go derived C1Inh and potential variants offer promising new opportunities for developing safer and more cost-effective treatments for HAE and other indications. The new patent protection increases the attractiveness for our partners utilizing the CAP-Go technology for production of C1Inh and other O-glycosylated proteins.”