A collaboration led by Batavia Biosciences will use Horizon Discovery’s CHO cell technology in the development of an antibody against Zika.

Batavia Biosciences, working with Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) and IDBiologics, is looking to develop a therapy based on a Zika virus neutralizing antibody that was discovered three years ago.

Accessing Horizon Discovery’s GS knockout Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) K1 cell line expression system will allow the development of high yield antibody-expressing cell lines, Batavia CEO Menzo Havenga told this publication.

Image: iStock/designer491

“CHO cells are required because antibody glycosylation and are industry standard as many products have been made on this cell line. The horizon technology promises to deliver cell lines expressing four to six gram product per liter.”

The licensed horizon technology aims to deliver stable antibody expressing CHO cell clones within eight weeks upon DNA transfection, and costs are based on standard consumables and lab hours, Havenga continued.

“Project activities have now been initiated by ordering the DNA so we expect to have generated the cells by end October 2019. Next steps are then to take the antibody expressing CHO cell line from this activity and do scale up in single use bioreactors up to 100 liter and make clinical material for testing in human individuals.”

The work is being executed from Batavia’s facility in Woburn, Massachusetts.