• Under an XS™ Microbial Expression Research Evaluation Agreement, AdAlta evaluated Lonza’s system in house with successful results for novel i-body proteins 
• Lonza to conduct focused strain development study with XS™ Pichia Systems and manufacture non-GMP material at its microbial facility in Visp 
• AdAlta to continue using Lonza’s XS™ Expression Technologies in their laboratory to screen their broader i-body platform under the XS™ Research Evaluation Agreement

Basel, Switzerland, and Melbourne, Australia, 18 Dec 2014 – Lonza and AdAlta announced today that they have entered into a strain development agreement for AdAlta’s alternative scaffold proteins, called i-bodies. Lonza will conduct strain development studies with the XS™ Pichia systems for several i-body molecules that AdAlta successfully expressed at research levels in their Melbourne-based laboratory. Strain development and manufacturing will be conducted by Lonza at its microbial facility in Visp (CH) to establish a commercially viable manufacturing process. 

The XS™ Research Evaluation Agreement (REA) provided AdAlta scientists with access to Lonza’s proprietary microbial expression systems, protocols and technical expertise. The licensable XS™ Technology Platform consists of multiple hosts and promoter systems that have been optimized for soluble expression driving simpler recovery and downstream processing, which saves development time and costs. After evaluating several E. coli and Pichia host systems, AdAlta found the best expression performance with one of Lonza’s Pichia systems for several i-bodies that are under development for fibrosis and other diseases.

Under the strain development contract, Lonza will conduct broader process development for these i-bodies including larger scale, fed-batch production with one or more XS™ Pichia Systems to assess cell growth and productivity. Lonza will produce non-GMP material for further evaluation at AdAlta.

We are pleased that the diversity of the XS™ Expression Toolbox is a successful option to express these alternative scaffold molecules, which demonstrates the versatility of the technology,” said Anne Hays, Head of Lonza’s Custom Development Services Organization. “This is the goal of our approach – to enable customers to do early research in their own labs, then come to Lonza for next-phase product needs.”  

“We are pleased to be working with a partner such as Lonza with extensive experience in protein expression,” said AdAlta CEO Samantha Cobb. “The strain development with Lonza will allow AdAlta to advance our novel i-body candidates to the clinic as quickly as possible.”  

AdAlta will continue to screen their broader i-body platform with the XS™ systems available under the XS™ REA.