SAFC Licenses Cell Line Platform in Asia

SAFC Commercial, Sigma-Aldrich’s custom manufacturing services business unit, has won commercial sales and licensing contracts with two Asian biopharma companies for the purchase of CHOZN, its off-the-shelf cell line production platform.
 
The CHOZN Platform consists of the CHOZN GS-/- CHO cell line and an optimized set of cGMP-produced, chemically defined (CD) media and feeds designed specifically for the cell line to maximize the production of monoclonal antibodies and other r-proteins. According to the company, the CHOZN GS (-/-) platform provides a stable cell line that results in faster, simpler selection and scale-up of high-producing manufacturing clones. In combination with the ZFN technology, CHOZN provides a gateway from development through commercialization.
 
“We are seeing a great deal of interest in our CHOZN Platform in Asia as numerous pharmaceutical companies in the region are looking to enter this market,” said Dr. Kevin Kayser, director of the CHOZN Platform for SAFC. “Going forward, we expect to see increased engagement throughout the region based on our ability to accelerate upstream development timelines to positively impact the potential profitability of biotherapeutic products.”