Laupheim, Germany; Milford, MA, USA and Cambridge, UK, 19 May 2020: Rentschler Biopharma SE, a world-class contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) for biopharmaceuticals, and Horizon Discovery, a global leader in the application of gene editing and gene modulation for cell line engineering, today announced the signing of a commercial license agreement. Under the terms of the agreement, Horizon’s CHOSOURCE™ platform will be used in combination with Rentschler Biopharma’s novel in-house process for cell line development for difficult-to-express proteins. Horizon’s gene-edited Glutamine Synthetase (“GS”) knockout Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) K1 cGMP-compliant cell line will complement Rentschler Biopharma’s existing service offering, providing a royalty-free, state-of-the-art alternative for the production of highly complex proteins. This will support researchers from early drug development through commercial manufacturing.

By entering into the agreement, Horizon and Rentschler Biopharma aim to empower organizations of all sizes, from large pharmaceutical companies to clinical stage biotechs and early stage startups, to drive efficiencies in biotherapeutic manufacturing. Rentschler Biopharma’s integrated platform process, together with Horizon’s cell line, will provide innovative and tailored solutions to translate complex medical research into outstanding biopharmaceuticals. This will elevate the standard of protein expression and allow clients to access a robust and flexible approach for designer protein therapeutics, from concept to market.

Dr. Frank Mathias, CEO of Rentschler Biopharma, commented: “At Rentschler Biopharma, we consistently strive to offer our clients optimal and truly integrated solutions across the entire value chain. We achieve this by our own means as well as through strong partnerships. The new collaboration with Horizon, a very renowned company in the area of cell line engineering with an outstanding track record, significantly broadens our fit-for-purpose approach.”

Terry Pizzie, CEO of Horizon Discovery, commented: “We are very pleased to be working with such a well-respected organization within the field of biomanufacturing. This agreement brings together two world-class companies in biomanufacturing and further supports our ethos of enabling access to the CHOSOURCE platform in such a way as to empower organizations of all sizes to drive efficiencies in development and production of biotherapeutics.”