Touchlight, a CDMO specialising in genetic medicines, has signed a licensing agreement with biopharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).
This contract will grant GSK non-exclusive rights to use Torchlight’s enzymatic dbDNA to produce mRNA-based products.
dbDNA for optimised mRNA production
GSK’s new license will allow the company access to the technology to enhance the speed and scalability of DNA production — with the potential to also accelerate mRNA vaccine production.
The deal includes an upfront payment, ongoing technology access fees, royalties and clinical & regulatory milestone payments on GSK’s mRNA products manufactured with Touchlight’s dbDNA.
The technology, according to Touchlight, can produce GMP DNA faster and at larger scales than traditional plasmid DNA production methods, allowing companies to enhance mRNA vaccine development pipelines.
dbDNA will also enter clinical development later on in the year as an API for a cancer vaccine.
Executive Chair and Founder of Touchlight, Johnny Ohlson, commented: “GSK is a global leader in vaccination, and we are delighted they have licensed our proprietary enzymatic dbDNA™ technology for the development and production of their mRNA-based products. The adoption of Touchlight’s enzymatic DNA is gathering pace and becoming an important part of the advanced therapy supply chain. Our technology delivers the speed, scalability and high-quality DNA products that are essential for the next generation of mRNA therapeutics”.