As per the terms of the agreement, Aldevron will get global manufacturing and commercialisation rights to Codex HiCap RNA Polymerase, and in exchange Codexis will get payments for technical milestones achieved in the near-term besides commercial milestones and royalties based on sales targets.
The two companies will work together to ensure a smooth transition for customers.
Codexis chief operating officer Kevin Norrett said: “We’re excited to partner with Aldevron, a market-leading mRNA manufacturer, to increase our commercial penetration with a path to a GMP-grade version of our Codex HiCap RNA Polymerase. This should enable the efficient manufacture of more mRNA-based therapeutics, potentially impacting millions of patients.
“The execution of this deal demonstrates our ability to create value from game-changing enzymes in our portfolio by getting them into the hands of the right collaborators, and we look forward to building a long-term partnership with Aldevron and the broader Danaher family of companies.”
Aldevron Protein Business Unit GM Tom Foti said: “Aldevron has long been a provider of research to cGMP proteins, mRNA and pDNA to enable vaccine development, and cell and gene therapy. We are thrilled with the opportunity to exclusively license this differentiating Codex HiCap RNA Polymerase which demonstrates Aldevron’s commitment to mRNA as a therapeutic modality.
“The T7 RNA Polymerase is the critical enzyme in the manufacturing process, making it a vital asset in support of our mRNA manufacturing service offering. This license is a strategic investment in Aldevron’s continued development our of mRNA ecosystem, ultimately benefiting our clients and the patients they serve.”
An engineered, co-transcriptional capping RNA polymerase, Codex HiCap RNA Polymerase allows researchers to create synthetic mRNA at high yield and purity that is required by current mRNA-based vaccines and therapeutics.
It features commercially available cap analogs more efficiently than wild-type T7 (WT T7) RNA polymerase, creates less undesirable double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) byproduct and provides efficient in vitro transcription (IVT).