Astellas Pharma licenses Millipore's UCOE

USA-based Millipore Corp has licensed its Ubiquitous Chromatin Opening Element technology for use by the US unit of Japanese drug major Astellas in its research programs. The license will enable Astellas to more efficiently produce its drug targets, such as antibodies in mammalian cells, by generating higher protein yields. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The process of manufacturing biologic drugs such as monoclonal antibodies and other recombinant proteins often begins with growing mammalian cells in a bioreactor. Millipore says its UCOE technology helps better identify which cells will be the most effective in producing proteins during large-scale manufacturing.

By more efficiently isolating these stable and highly productive cell lines, biopharmaceutical manufacturers can improve the yield and consistency of their manufacturing processes. The cost of making recombinant protein-based drugs means quick identification of cell lines is a critical factor in improving productivity.