Glenmark opts for Horizon’s gene edited cell lines

The agreement sees Glenmark Pharmaceuticals gain access to Horizon Discovery’s glutamine synthetase knockout Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) K1 cell line.

Regarding its decision to opt for Horizon’s technology, Glenmark confirmed that the cell lines were able to deliver clones with ‘high levels of productivity’ and a ‘favorable stability’ when compared with its previous system during testing.

Martin Bertschinger, deputy director of cell sciences at Glenmark, said, “Incorporating this technology into our biomanufacturing processes enhances our ability to efficiently generate high quality cell lines.”​

The Indian company has been scaling up its production of biologics in recent years, which has seen it open a facility in La Chaux-de-Fonds​, Switzerland, and to add second single-use production line​ to manufacture monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and bispecific antibodies.

Glenmark holds four mAbs within its clinical pipeline, with the drug candidates being investigated within oncology and immunology.

Dirk Gewert, business unit director at Horizon Discovery, confirmed that the technology had been used by other companies to progress their clinical candidates towards commercialization.

“This proprietary solution has now been licensed to over 50 companies globally, which, together with a number of confirmed investigational new drug filings for products expressed in the cells, demonstrates increasing industry acceptance,”​ he commented.