Novo signs up for Crucell's STAR tech

Danish firm Novo will use the non-exclusive licence to evaluate the technology for the production of monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) using its proprietary mammalian Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell line.

Details of the agreement were not forthcoming, although it was released that Novo will pay a licence insurance fee, a success-based fee and annual maintenance fees should the licence be extended beyond the evaluation period.

Novo's move to obtain the STAR research licence fits with the company's announcement earlier this month that it was cutting its small molecule development to concentrate on protein -based therapies. The firm decided to refocus solely on large-molecule biopharmaceutical medicines, discontinuing small-molecule drug development projects such as oral diabetes treatments.

Crucell's STAR technology is intended to increase production of recombinant antibodies and therapeutic proteins on mammalian cell lines. According to the company, the cell clones created by the STAR process produce five to 10 times more antibody or protein than clones produced by other processes.

At present, CHO cell derivatives are used to produce over 90 per cent of all antibodies and therapeutic proteins. The STAR technology can be used with these cell lines (as well as others) to reduce the number of clones that need to be screened to generate a high producing cell line.

The technology can be applied to produce optimal levels of protein for processes such as protein characterisation, immunisation, target discovery, or optimising downstream processes such as protein purification.

Crucell was granted a patent for the STAR technology in 2005, after acquiring the company developing the product, ChromaGenics, in 2004. Several biopharmaceutical companies have agreements and licences with Crucell for the STAR technology, including Genentech, Medarex and Genzyme. Novartis, UCB, Millenium Pharmaceuticals and Xoma all signed research licence agreements with Crucell for the technology during 2006.