The collaboration – financial terms of which were not disclosed – will focus on the development of transaminase enzymes bound to an inert resin with the idea being that such set-ups can be easily removed from production lines and more straightforward to reuse.
Purolite will provide the resins, while Codexis will supply the enzymes according to senior VP of pharmaceuticals Peter Seufer-Wasserthal, who said: “Under this new collaboration with Purolite, we will be launching a kit of immobilized transaminases as an extension of our screening Kits.
He added that: “The new immobilized enzyme kits will allow potential customers to quickly assess ideas for biocatalytic processes.”
This was echoed by Purolite’s Dr. Alessandra Basso, who said: “Scientists who are unfamiliar with biocatalytic processes can easily apply immobilized enzymes to different screening processes that can speed up new-molecule and API development.”
Pharma driver
The agreement is the first major development in Codexis’ pharmaceutical business since contract manufacturing firm Albany Molecular Research (AMRI) began assessing its enzymes for API production in February.
The Purolite deal fits with the strategy Codexis has employed since the collapse of its biofuels development agreement with Royal Dutch Shell in 2012 after which the US enzyme maker has repeatedly stated that it sees the drug industry as a key driver.
Speaking in May Codexis CEO John Nicols said: “We are very encouraged by the continued growth of our pharmaceutical business during the first quarter, which demonstrated strong sales and profit expansion.
He cited the firms deal with Merck & Co and its agreement with Exela Pharma Sciences as key drivers.
Whether this positive, pharmaceutical industry-driven momentum has continued will be clear when the firm announces its results in August.