Dutch biotechnology company Crucell N.V. and allied contract manufacturer DSM Biologics have signed a PER.C6 research license agreement with Roche. This license agreement allows Roche to use the PER.C6 cell line for production of monoclonal antibody products as well as a specific undisclosed protein.

Further to this agreement, Crucell will work with Roche in creating a production clone for the specific protein, release from Crucell says.

Under the terms of the agreement, Roche will pay a research license payment, annual maintenance fees, and research funding. Further financial details were not disclosed.

DSM Biologics, a business unit of the DSM Pharmaceutical Products business group, is one of the world's leading contract manufacturers of biopharmaceutical products, the latest generation of drugs, mainly on the basis of native molecules and produced with the help of cell cultures.