Biokit and Algenex join forces to produce recombinant proteins to diagnose infectious diseases
They will employ innovative technology based on the use of insect larvae, which cuts costs and makes production more flexible.
By Biocat
Madrid-based biotechnology firm Algenex has closed an agreement with Catalan company Biokit for non-exclusive global licensing of their IBES technological platform (Improved Baculovirus Expression System), which "will allow us to better design and more quickly and competitively develop our diagnostic kits to detect infectious diseases and coagulation disorders, among others," explained Dr. Pau Bruguera, Biokit head of R&D.
Algenex technology is a pioneer in using insect larvae as living bioreactors and allows for the production of recombinant proteins with significant advantages like lower costs and increased scalability and flexibility. "We hope to launch to market in the coming years as one of the most competitive options to generate biologicals. A global license with a partner like Biokit is important in validating the capacity of our technology," explains Dr. José Escribano, founder and scientific advisor of this company, created as a spin-off of the biotechnology department of the National Institute for Agriculture and Food Research and Technology (INIA) in 2005.
"We’ve noticed increased demand not only from small biotechnology companies but also, increasingly, from larger pharmaceutical companies," said Escribano. For a more in-depth look, we recommend the interview with Dr. Escibano published in the journal Biotech.
Biokit, which belongs to the multinational Werfen group, is based in Lliçà de Munt (Barcelona) and exports 98% of its products, supplying the top diagnostics companies in the world. With this new technology, the Catalan company expects to produce a wide portfolio of high-quality recombinant proteins for pharmaceutical use. These two companies have collaborated over the past three years and have developed two high-sensitivity immunoassay systems (rubella, hepatitis B and C, HIV, etc.) that yield results in less than 30 minutes and can conduct 64 tests per hour: Bio-Flash HSV-1 IgG, which will be presented at the Medica 2013 fair, and Bio-Flash HSV-2 IgG expected for 2014.