ArcticZymes and Austrian Centre Extend Partnership to Advance Bionanoparticle Purification for Gene Therapies
Key Insights
ArcticZymes Technologies (search) and the Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology (search) have extended their collaborative research partnership for three years to develop enhanced purification methods for bionanoparticles used in gene therapies (search), vaccines, and cancer (search) treatments.
The collaboration demonstrated that ArcticZymes' M-SAN enzyme (search) is significantly more effective at digesting chromatin (search) than conventional nucleases (search) and performs strongly under physiological salt conditions critical for sensitive bionanoparticle production.
The extended partnership will focus on proving the value of high-salt nuclease treatments and developing improved methods for detecting chromatin (search) DNA, with EUR 100,000 in additional funding from the COMET program.
ArcticZymes Technologies (search) ASA has extended its collaborative research partnership with the Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology (search) (acib) for another three years, focusing on developing significantly enhanced purification methods for bionanoparticles (BNPs) that are critical for safer, more effective gene therapies (search), vaccines, and cancer (search) treatments.
Key Research Breakthrough
The ongoing phase of the project, which began in April 2024, demonstrated a crucial insight that focusing on the removal of chromatin (search) rather than accessible forms of DNA is essential for improved purification of bionanoparticles. This discovery revealed that ArcticZymes' M-SAN enzyme (search) is significantly more effective at digesting chromatin than conventional nucleases (search).
The M-SAN enzyme (search) also demonstrates strong performance under process-relevant, physiological salt conditions, which provides a significant advantage when producing sensitive BNPs such as lentiviral vectors (search). This advancement has enabled ArcticZymes to distinctly differentiate its SAN portfolio from competition and highlight their unique benefits to the bioprocessing community.
Extended Collaboration Focus
The extended collaboration will concentrate on proving the value of high-salt nuclease treatments, leveraging the enzymes from ArcticZymes' SAN family. The partnership will also develop improved methods for detecting and quantifying chromatin (search) DNA, as existing assays fail to accomplish this accurately. These efforts aim to create more efficient, scalable, and cost-effective purification strategies for BNP-based therapeutics.
Funding and Training Support
The collaborative research continues to receive support from the COMET program, which has awarded an additional EUR 100,000 to advance biotechnology innovation through industry-academic partnerships. The project also includes the training of a PhD candidate, contributing to the future talent pool and ensuring continued advancement in bioprocessing technology and enzyme development.
Industry Leadership Perspectives
Michael B. Akoh, CEO of ArcticZymes Technologies (search), commented: "Collaborating with acib, one of the leading research groups in bioprocessing, is instrumental in showing precisely how our nucleases (search) best address customer challenges. Together, we are enhancing biomanufacturing workflows for virus-like particles, enabling our clients to optimize their processes, improve efficiencies, and achieve more cost-effective and reliable outcomes."
Dr. Mathias Drexler, CEO of acib, added: "The partnership allows us to bridge fundamental research with real-world bioprocessing needs. Working with ArcticZymes gives us access to innovative enzymatic tools that perform under real production conditions. Their technology plays a key role in shaping more effective and scalable solutions for the biomanufacturing industry. Together, we are advancing purification strategies that are both, scientifically sound and industry-relevant."
Company Background
ArcticZymes Technologies (search) is a Norwegian life sciences company focused on the development, manufacturing and commercialization of novel recombinant enzymes for use in molecular research, In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) and biomanufacturing. The company is headquartered in Tromsø, Norway, at the SIVA Science Park, with its intellectual property and capabilities protected via a large portfolio of patents.