Selexis, Pieris Pharma Enter Cell Line Pact

Selexis SA, a provider of mammalian (suspension-adapted CHO-K1) cell line generation, has signed a license agreement that provides Pieris Pharmaceuticals with access to Selexis SUREtechnology Platform and SURE CHO-M Cell Line to advance the development of PRS-343, Pieris’ lead bispecific immuno-oncology drug candidate. PRS-343 is a CD137/HER2 bispecific that is designed to promote CD137 clustering by bridging CD137-positive T cells with HER2-positive tumor cells, thereby providing a potent costimulatory signal to tumor antigen-specific T cells.

“Through the innovation behind Selexis’ technology, our dedicated researchers are driven to provide companies such as Pieris with high performance, cost-effective solutions for development of their own innovative biological drug candidates,” said Marco Bocci, vice president, licensing and business development, Selexis. “Earlier this year, Pieris announced encouraging in vivo proof of concept data for PRS-343, a bispecific protein produced with the Selexis SUREtechnology Platform and cell line that is expected to enter the clinic in the first half of 2017. We look forward to the continued progression of this important and unique drug candidate.”

Selexis’ proprietary SUREtechnology Platform facilitates the rapid, stable, and cost-effective production of virtually any recombinant protein and provides seamless integration of the biologics development continuum, spanning discovery to commercialization.

The Selexis SURE CHO-M Cell Line is a proprietary high-performance mammalian cell line that is derived from CHO-K1 cells and used for the production of therapeutic recombinant proteins and monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). The growth and production properties of the Selexis SURE CHO-M Cell Line are well defined, and the feed strategy has been optimized, allowing for faster and more efficient scale-up to bioreactors. Therapeutics that are generated using Selexis SURE CHO-M cells are in both clinical trials and marketed products.