Selexis SA and Berkeley Lights have formed a collaboration around the acquisition of Berkeley Lights’ Beacon optofluidic platform. The partners will leverage the technology to accelerate cell line development (CLD) with the Selexis SUREtechnology Platform. Selexis scientists have evaluated the Beacon technology and will now further incorporate it into the SUREtechnology Platform workflow. Utilizing the Beacon’s optofluidic and single cell analysis technology, the Selexis team says it has shortened the time required to identify and select the optimal cell line manufacturing clones within the CLD process.
 
“We are very enthusiastic about the timeline advantages that the Beacon platform will bring to our SUREtechnology Platform,” said Igor Fisch, chief executive officer, Selexis. “This optofluidic technology helps us continually improve and accelerate cell line development. Our client partners consider every month of lead time ahead of a competitor to be a significant advantage. We believe we will be able to give our partners a strong first-in-human (FIH) and first-to-market (FTM) head start while helping them deliver much-needed medicines to patients.”
 
Selexis’ SUREtechnology Platform is based upon optimized epigenetic DNA-based elements (Selexis Genetic Elements) that protect integrated transgenes from the transcription silencing effects of surrounding chromatin, allowing for robust production levels of protein therapeutics. This technology eliminates the need for large-scale screening to identify high-producing clones; allowing for research cell bank generation in as little as 14 weeks. Of that 14-week development time, subcloning and optimal clone identification still typically require four to eight weeks. By integrating the Beacon technology into the SUREtechnology Platform and by adapting a unique and proprietary cell clone prediction tool, the company will be able to shave off several weeks in the development of a research cell bank, thereby speeding the development of high-quality drug product to the clinic.
 
“We are very pleased to be working with Selexis and value our collaboration that led to the optimization of the Beacon platform for use with the SUREtechnology Platform,” said Andy Last, chief commercial officer, Berkeley Lights. “We are quite proud of the success of the Beacon platform in providing unparalleled single cell analytic and isolation technologies to accommodate the breadth of needs across the cell line development field.”