Novozymes Biopharma will use GE Healthcare technology to produce and deliver native animal-free protein A after the two companies signed a licensing agreement.
Novozymes Biopharma protein A, which is now commercially available, is targeted at customers involved in the production of chromatography media.
Novozymes Biopharma AB uses GE Healthcare proprietary technology and production strain to make Protein A.
The protein is the active component in chromatography media used to produce antibodies.
Novozymes's protein A can then be used to purify antibodies in drug production and bio-chemical analysis applications.
In nature, the microorganism Staphylococcus aureus utilises protein A to bind antibodies to hide itself from the immune system when invading the body.
The ability of protein A to bind to antibodies has been used successfully at industrial scale for several years to produce monoclonal antibodies to treat illnesses such as arthritis and cancer.
The ability to purify antibodies has been an essential tool in many biotechnology advances.
The purification is performed using chromatographic techniques, where recent advances allow production of the antibodies in large quantities.
