BAC and Octapharma extend collaboration for G-CSF custom ligand
pharmafile | August 17, 2010 | News story | Manufacturing and Production | BAC, Octapharma
BAC, a specialist in antibody-based affinity purification technology has signed a licence agreement with Octapharma, which manufactures human proteins for life-threatening diseases.
The deal means Octapharma can use BAC’s G-CSF CaptureSelect custom affinity ligand for the purification of recombinant human granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) from human (HEK293F) cell cultures.
G-CSF is a hormone that stimulates bone marrow to produce white blood cells and stem cells, and has therapeutic uses in oncology and haematology. Octapharma will produce G-CSF for use primarily within the field of oncology, for example after chemotherapy and/or bone marrow transplantation.
Existing G-CSF products are marketed as Filgrastim (E.coli derived), and Lenograstim (CHO derived). This license follows success in an earlier collaboration (the feasibility study programme), in which BAC discovered and developed the anti-G-CSF ligand in close collaboration with Octapharma.
This custom-designed affinity chromatography media enables Octapharma to rapidly set up a production process for this recombinant protein as it decreases valuable time needed for down stream process development. More traditional methods used include a range of conventional chromatography steps resulting in a lower recovery of the overall process compared to using affinity chromatography.
“The team here at BAC are delighted to have delivered a second custom-made CaptureSelect affinity ligand for Octapharma,” said Dr Laurens Sierkstra, chief executive of Netherlands-based BAC. “This further success confirms the reliability of the CaptureSelect platform to consistently produce highly specific affinity ligands for the purification of any protein.”
“The start of this collaboration with BAC, in G-CSF, came from the success with our previous collaboration to develop a ligand for the purification of factor IX and the use of a BAC-derived ligand for affinity purification of recombinant factor VIII (the product is currently in clinical trials),” said Kim Björnstrup, vice chairman of Octapharma Group. “Our aim is always to provide safe products of the highest purity, and BAC’s ligands are a key part of our purification process.”
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