Officials at Cytiva say the company will work with Entos Pharmaceuticals to optimize a clinical manufacturing solution for the company’s Covigenix COVID-19 DNA vaccine candidate. Entos develops next generation nucleic acid medicines using its Fusogenix platform, which uses a novel mechanism of action to deliver molecules, intact and unmodified, directly into the cytosol of target cells, according to a Cytiva spokesperson.
Cytiva’s Fast Trak process development team will develop efficient and scalable processes to manufacture the Fusogenix technology platform, notes Anne-Cécile Potmans, general manager, Fast Trak, Cytiva.
“Advancing vaccine candidates requires innovation, speed, and collaboration,” she explains. “When emerging biotechnology companies like Entos engage with our teams, they are able to collaborate with industry specialists to accelerate the development of transformative medicines.”
“Cytiva has a winning combination of deep expertise and a stellar track record in manufacturing process optimization,” adds John Lewis, CEO, Entos. “As we look forward to advancing our pan-coronavirus COVID-19 vaccine, it is essential that our manufacturing strategy can be scaled effectively and safely to address the urgent global need.”
Cytiva’s Fast Trak process development team will use their expertise to develop a scalable downstream protein-purification method that will enable GMP-production of the Fusogenix protein component that facilitates intracellular DNA delivery, continues Potmans.
“By collaborating with Cytiva, Entos will have a robust purification process that will enable them to manufacture multiple vaccine candidates and begin human clinical trials,” she says.
