Curia, a CDMO, and Touchlight, a company pioneering enzymatic DNA production, entered an agreement that will provide Curia and its clients streamlined access to Touchlight’s doggybone DNA (dbDNA). The arrangement expands Curia’s mRNA manufacturing offering with an additional differentiated source of DNA raw material that is immediately available to Curia customers. Under the arrangement, Touchlight will directly manufacture dbDNA on behalf of Curia’s customers.

Touchlight’s dbDNA is a linear, double-stranded, covalently closed DNA vector. DNA serves as the template for making mRNA therapies. According to the company, its enzymatic DNA is produced with a cell-free enzymatic process that offers benefits in speed, quality and capacity when compared to traditional plasmid DNA production.

Touchlight’s dbDNA is a novel solution that is widely applicable and versatile, expanding Curia’s mRNA manufacturing capabilities to its bioprocessing-grade plasmid offering.

“Curia remains committed to strengthening our biologics offerings and end-to-end mRNA manufacturing capabilities,” said Christopher Conway, President of R&D, Curia. “With the addition of enzymatic DNA through our partnership with Touchlight, our customers will have a critical advantage in terms of scalability and speed to market.”

Karen Fallen, CEO, Touchlight said, “We are delighted to work with Curia in order to further expand access to dbDNA as a critical starting material. Working in parallel with fellow CDMOs is a key component of our focus upon enabling broad market access to dbDNA. Curia is building a comprehensive mRNA solution, and this arrangement enables both companies to extend their offering to a wider audience.”