Boehringer Ingelheim and ProBioGen AG announced that they have signed a non-exclusive licensing agreement regarding ProBioGen’s GlymaxX technology. Boehringer Ingelheim’s Contract Manufacturing Business will apply the technology to enhance ADCC (Antibody-Dependent Cell-Mediated Cytotoxicity) activity of antibodies.

The GlymaxX technology for production of afucosylated proteins is universally applicable, simple and potent. As a unique feature, differentiating it from other approaches, the GlymaxX technology can also be applied to already existing antibody producer cell lines without altering their productivity. The technology can easily be integrated into Boehringer Ingelheim’s high expression CHO-based BI-HEX system.

Both parties agreed to jointly market the technology and to offer it to customers royalty free.

“We are very pleased that Boehringer Ingelheim has decided to integrate our GlymaxX technology into their technology portfolio for customer and in-house projects. This is an additional milestone in our long-standing business relationship,” commented Volker Sandig, chief scientific officer of ProBioGen AG. Wieland Wolf, ProBioGen’s chief executive officer, added, “The GlymaxX technology is another demonstration of ProBioGen’s core expertise, understanding animal cell biology and converting this knowledge into pioneering solutions in process development and product design.”

“With the combination of the BI-HEX platform and ProBioGen’s GlymaxX technology we can offer our customers tailored solutions for high titer expression of highly potent antibodies,” said Simon Sturge, corporate senior vice president Biopharmaceuticals of Boehringer Ingelheim. “This is another step to continuously invest in our technology leadership and to provide flexible solutions, addressing our customer’s needs.”

ADCC activity is an important antibody function leading to selectively killing target cells, i.e. cancer cells or pathogen-infected cells. Several therapeutic antibody drugs on the market rely on ADCC as a mechanism of action. ADCC enhancement has the potential to increase the therapeutic effect and/or to greatly reduce antibody dosage requirements, resulting in fewer side-effects and treatment costs.

The GlymaxX technology, developed by ProBioGen prevents the addition of the sugar "fucose" to the N-linked antibody carbohydrate part by antibody producing cells. The absence of fucose enhances ADCC. The GlymaxX technology is based on the introduction of a gene for an enzyme which deflects the cellular pathway of fucose biosynthesis. The GlymaxX technology is universally applicable, simple and potent, and can be rapidly applied to any existing antibody producer cell line, or can be included into any new cell line development.

ProBioGen is an internationally operating Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) with almost 20 years of experience in mammalian cell culture, process development and GMP-manufacturing. ProBioGen, with its scientific excellence and strong intellectual property base, is a competent and reliable CDMO partner offering customized solutions for even the most challenging development and manufacturing requirements.

The Boehringer Ingelheim group has been committed for 125 years to researching, developing, manufacturing and marketing novel products of high therapeutic value for human and veterinary medicine.