07.27.23
Fina Biosolutions has selected Scorpius BioManufacturing, a biologics CDMO, for the production of an E.coli-expressed CRM197 conjugate vaccine carrier protein.
The partnership includes recovery and downstream process optimization, analytical method implementation and phase-appropriate validation, scale-up, and cGMP bulk drug substance manufacturing of CRM197, a genetically detoxified diphtheria toxin widely used in conjugate vaccines. FinaBio markets their CRM197 under the tradename EcoCRM.
EcoCRM is produced in FinaBio's FinaXpress platform, a highly efficient E.coli expression system that, along with a simple purification method, can significantly reduce the cost of this vaccine component.
Fina Biosolutions founder Andrew Lees said, "As a company focused on promoting affordable conjugate vaccines, it was important for us to find a flexible CDMO partner who aligned with our mission to make this technology accessible to patients globally without sacrificing quality."
Lees has licensed conjugation chemistry to GlaxoSmithKline and the Serum Institute of India for use in their pneumococcal and meningococcal vaccines.
"Fina Biosolutions is an innovative biotech company that deserves the responsiveness traditional CDMOs often fail to provide to smaller, more nimble clients. They are exactly the type of partner we envisioned supporting when we founded Scorpius in 2020," said Jeff Wolf, Scorpius' founder and executive chairman. "Our team is honored to work with Dr. Lees and the FinaBio team to improve patients' lives through their novel and affordable conjugate vaccines."
"The most successful CDMO partnerships are rooted in cultural fit," said Steve Lavezoli, vice president of business development at Scorpius. "From a cultural standpoint, the leadership teams at Scorpius and FinaBio have a shared passion for quality, continuous improvement, and making scientific innovations more accessible to patients. We look forward to a long-term manufacturing partnership with FinaBio."
The partnership includes recovery and downstream process optimization, analytical method implementation and phase-appropriate validation, scale-up, and cGMP bulk drug substance manufacturing of CRM197, a genetically detoxified diphtheria toxin widely used in conjugate vaccines. FinaBio markets their CRM197 under the tradename EcoCRM.
EcoCRM is produced in FinaBio's FinaXpress platform, a highly efficient E.coli expression system that, along with a simple purification method, can significantly reduce the cost of this vaccine component.
Fina Biosolutions founder Andrew Lees said, "As a company focused on promoting affordable conjugate vaccines, it was important for us to find a flexible CDMO partner who aligned with our mission to make this technology accessible to patients globally without sacrificing quality."
Lees has licensed conjugation chemistry to GlaxoSmithKline and the Serum Institute of India for use in their pneumococcal and meningococcal vaccines.
"Fina Biosolutions is an innovative biotech company that deserves the responsiveness traditional CDMOs often fail to provide to smaller, more nimble clients. They are exactly the type of partner we envisioned supporting when we founded Scorpius in 2020," said Jeff Wolf, Scorpius' founder and executive chairman. "Our team is honored to work with Dr. Lees and the FinaBio team to improve patients' lives through their novel and affordable conjugate vaccines."
"The most successful CDMO partnerships are rooted in cultural fit," said Steve Lavezoli, vice president of business development at Scorpius. "From a cultural standpoint, the leadership teams at Scorpius and FinaBio have a shared passion for quality, continuous improvement, and making scientific innovations more accessible to patients. We look forward to a long-term manufacturing partnership with FinaBio."