Lonza Acquires Stake In Cilian

Lonza has announced that it has signed an investment agreement, including a right of first refusal for the commercial production of products, with Cilian. The collaboration with Cilian provides access to a prospective technology platform for applications in the nutrition and biopharmaceutical area.

Reportedly, Lonza owns a number of patents and patent applications in the field of Tetrahymena thermophila and will transfer these patents and patent applications to Cilian. In return Lonza will acquire newly issued shares in Cilian together with the right of first refusal for the commercial production of products developed by Cilian based on the patent portfolio of Lonza.

Remco Brandt, CEO of Cilian, said: “We are extremely pleased with the participation of Lonza in Cilian. Their input allows us to leverage the value of Cilian by building our own product pipeline using the unique Ciliate production platform.”

Thomas Kiy, global head for strategic business development at Lonza Life Science Ingredients, said: “We believe that Cilian’s production platform for enzymes, antibodies and other proteins has the potential to provide attractive innovations in the nutrition and biopharmaceutical area.”