Lonza and Odyssey Thera, Inc. have signed an agreement under which Lonza will make Odyssey’s Protein-fragment Complementation Assay (PCA) technology, as part of compound profiling services, available to life science researchers. Additionally, Lonza has an option to certain exclusive global technology licenses. The companies have also initiated collaborative technology, product development and marketing activities.

Odyssey will also receive an equity investment, making Lonza a minority shareholder, as well as and technology development funding, eligibility to receive additional payments, as well as milestones and royalties on Lonza sales.

PCA enables a precise visualization and localization of protein complexes within living human cells. A key benefit of the technology is the applicability to any target, pathway, or disease process. When new targets or drugs are screened on the platform, their mechanisms and safety issues are identified, allowing critical decisions to be made at an earlier stage of the development process.

“Odyssey Thera has created unique strategies for analyzing cellular targets in their native context and for expediting drug development. Our partnerships with top-tier pharmaceutical companies have validated the approach,” said John Westwick, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Odyssey. “The alliance with Lonza will accelerate technology development while driving commercialization of our PCA-based tools and services. Working with Lonza’s industry-leading capabilities in primary cell culture, transfection and marketing creates an excellent growth opportunity for both companies.”

“Access to the PCA technology patent portfolio enables Lonza to expand its product and service offering for drug discovery and safety testing. We are excited by the product pipeline that this alliance gives Lonza and look forward to contributing to the further development of Odyssey’s unique technology,” said Teun van der Heide, Ph.D., head of Research Solutions at Lonza.