GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) negotiated a license to Belgian firm Delphi Genetics’ antibiotic-free StabyExpress technology for the production of protein-based human vaccines. In return for the license GSK will pay Delphi relevant vaccine development milestones and royalties on future product sales. The license is the second granted by Delphi for the StabyExpress technology. In June 2009 Sanofi-Pasteur negotiated nonexclusive rights to use the technology in its recombinant vaccine production processes.
The StabyExpress technology is based on Delphi’s StabyTM Operating System, which comprises an original set of bacterial strains and vectors. The resulting StabyExpress T7 kit contains all the elements needed to clone and express a gene of interest in Escherichia coli. The kit combines two technologies, T7 expression and Staby plasmid stabilization, which Delphi claims allow high-yield protein expression and standardization of the production protocol. Delphi claims the StabyExpress technology can be applied to any industrial protein production process that involves bacterial fermentation.
“This is the second licensing agreement that we have announced with one of the major vaccine manufacturers,” reports Philippe Gabant, Ph.D., Delphi founder and business development director. “This demonstrates that our technology gives a competitive edge to our biopharmaceutical production partners and shows the importance of our technology in the bioindustrial world.”