Curia made an agreement to provide Curia and its clients a means of access to Touchlight’s doggybone DNA (dbDNA). The arrangement expands Curia’s mRNA manufacturing offerings with an additional differentiated source of DNA raw material that is immediately available to be accessed by Curia customers. Under the arrangement, Touchlight will directly manufacture dbDNA on behalf of Curia’s customers.
“Curia remains committed to strengthening our biologics offerings and end-to-end mRNA manufacturing capabilities,” said Christopher Conway, President of R&D, Curia. “With the addition of enzymatic DNA through our partnership with Touchlight, our customers will have a critical advantage in terms of scalability and speed to market.”
Touchlight’s dbDNA is a linear, double-stranded, covalently-closed DNA vector. DNA serves as the template for making mRNA therapies. Through a simple enzymatic process called in vitro transcription, genetic information is copied from DNA to mRNA. This mRNA is then able to teach the cells to make precise proteins that are used to treat or prevent diseases. Touchlight’s enzymatic DNA is produced with a cell-free enzymatic process that offers unmatched benefits in speed, quality and capacity when compared to traditional plasmid DNA production.
Karen Fallen, CEO, Touchlight commented: “We are delighted to work with Curia in order to further expand access to dbDNA as a critical starting material. Working in parallel with fellow CDMOs is a key component of our focus upon enabling broad market access to dbDNA. Curia is building a comprehensive mRNA solution, and this arrangement enables both companies to extend their offering to a wider audience.”
Touchlight’s dbDNA is a novel solution that is widely applicable and versatile, advancing Curia’s mRNA manufacturing capabilities as a complement to its bioprocessing-grade plasmid offering.
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