Developers tout protein manufacturing breakthrough

John Carroll — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 07:14:21 -0400

A joint venture between Crucell and DSM Biologics--Percivia--has produced a new, more efficient approach to manufacturing monoclonal antibodies and proteins. By relying on human cell lines rather than a traditional chemical approach, officials for the two companies say they can significantly cut the cost of manufacturing. And researchers for the joint venture say they achieved fermentation yields in human cells of 27 grams a liter--a record.

"This new achievement surpasses all other reported titer levels to date with any mammalian system and clearly demonstrates the robustness and power of the PER.C6 platform," said Marco Cacciuttolo, CEO and President of Percivia. "We are particularly enthused with the user-friendliness of the platform and pleased to be able to provide this to our licensees. We strive to revolutionize the pharmaceutical industry in protein production."

Less expensive manufacturing, they add, will allow developers to advance some new products to the market that would not have been able to generate a profit before.

- read the release