LenioBio, a biotech company pioneering cell-free protein production, and Touchlight, a leader in enzymatic DNA production, have entered a supply agreement aimed at leveraging the capabilities of Touchlight’s rapid enzymatic doggybone DNA (dbDNA), to achieve unprecedented speed in vaccine development and manufacture in the context of LenioBio’s CEPI grant.

LenioBio’s CEPI-funded project aims to showcase the capacity of their proprietary plant-based, cell-free ALiCE (Almost Living Cell-Free Expression) technology to significantly accelerate vaccine development. ALiCE already has a proven track record producing vaccine-relevant proteins within just 48 hours, offering a speed advantage over existing methods. However, ensuring a fast and reliable DNA supply—a crucial component for protein production—poses a critical challenge, especially in epidemic or pandemic situations. In this context, Touchlight’s dbDNA offers a potentially game-changing solution, promising a rapid, scalable, superior and resilient cell-free alternative to traditional bacterial manufacturing methods.

dbDNA is a minimal, linear, double stranded, covalently closed DNA vector in the shape of a “doggybone” produced using enzymatic manufacturing methods. Eliminating the need for traditional bacterial fermentation methods, dbDNA can be produced at GMP quality at unprecedented speed, scale and purity. By coupling Touchlight’s enzymatic dbDNA with LenioBio’s cell-free protein production process, a seamless end-to-end manufacturing process for pandemic preparedness will be established.

“We are delighted to be working with LenioBio to further demonstrate the breadth of dbDNA applications. We are excited to supply our enzymatic DNA to be used in LenioBio’s cell free protein platform – the combination of two cell-free technologies is a perfect synergy and shows the power of engineering biology,” commented Tommy Duncan, COO of Touchlight.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Touchlight and explore the synergy between our innovative technologies to achieve unprecedented speed in scaled protein production,” said LenioBio CEO, Andre Goerke. “Having surveyed the DNA manufacturing landscape, it is clear to us that cell-free DNA amplification will greatly contribute, to produce vaccines within 100-Days and dbDNA is the field-leading innovation to support this ultra-rapid, advanced manufacture of essential vaccines and medicines.”