Catalent Biologics Adds New Technology Platform

Catalent, Inc., has signed an exclusive licensing agreement with Excelimmune, Inc. to access its antibody combination therapy (ACT) technology platform. The platform has the potential to enable a consistent and cost-effective method to manufacture multiple recombinant antibodies or other recombinant proteins in a single batch culture. Under the licensing agreement, Catalent will continue development work on the platform, both internally and in conjunction with partner-sponsored programs. Catalent will also be able to leverage its own proprietary GPEx technology to help enable that development.

“Combination antibody therapies are becoming the treatment standard for many indications within oncology, immuno-oncology, and infectious diseases,” said Mike Riley, vice president/general manager, Catalent Biologics. “This technology platform has the potential to allow production of multiple antibodies in a significantly more cost-effective manner. This can allow innovators to look to combinations earlier in clinical development, and could be the difference in a new treatment getting to patients.”

Excelimmune’s antibody combination expression system is based on a key innovation: the use of stable pools of cells generated by multiple directed gene insertions, instead of clonal cell lines. This attribute contributes to a quick, stable, and flexible culture system for mixtures of cells producing different antibodies. This technology has the potential to pave the way for more consistent, cost-effective production of antibody combinations, which will allow complex antibody therapeutics to gain greater accessibility to the clinic.