Sartorius and MAbSilico have launched a service to assess whether experimental therapeutic proteins are suitable for further development and manufacturing. Their non-exclusive collaboration combines MAbSilico’s computational analysis with Sartorius’ cell line development and laboratory testing capabilities.
The service begins by evaluating protein sequence variants for properties that could cause problems later in development, including a tendency to aggregate, potential chemical modification sites and weak binding to a target. Candidates can then undergo experimental screening to assess how well cells grow, how much protein they produce and the quality of that protein.
Sartorius said the workflow can screen up to 200 variants and expression conditions in 12 weeks using stable cell pools. It uses Chinese hamster ovary cells, a common host for therapeutic protein production, to evaluate candidates in an expression system relevant to later manufacturing work.
The approach links early protein design to cell line development. By testing both a candidate’s physical properties and its production characteristics, the companies aim to help drug developers select which variants to advance before committing to additional development work.
MAbSilico, based in Tours, France, provides the predictive algorithms used in the initial assessment. Germany-based Sartorius contributes automated, high-throughput cell line development and experimental evaluation. The collaboration is non-exclusive, allowing the companies to offer the combined service to biopharmaceutical clients.
Vanessa Lutz, Sartorius’ head of cell line development, said the service expands the company’s work at the lead-optimization stage. MAbSilico CEO Vincent Puard said the arrangement makes its computational tools available through Sartorius’ bioprocessing services.