During the last three years Dyadic (Dyadic International, Inc.; NASDAQ: DYAI) and VTT have developed a more efficient and lower cost alternative to produce therapeutic proteins, vaccines and valuable metabolic products. The method is based on exploiting the Thermothelomyces heterothallica C1 fungal strain. The partners are now developing a new production method for a SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus vaccine.
Currently, the BioPharmaceutical industry is producing therapeutic proteins mainly in the CHO (Chinese hamster ovary) cell system with the current production processes are both time consuming and expensive. In the Dyadic-VTT collaboration, rapid progress and significant advances have been made to develop a new production platform in the industrialized C1 host cell. The C1 gene expression platform provides the possibility to bring affordable medicines to patients sooner and at a lower cost.
”We are at the right time in history to disrupt the biological production of healthcare for vaccine and drugs and it couldn’t have come at a better time because COVID19 came. We are doing our best to work with as many players around the globe to make sure we can help to eradicate this horrific disease and prolong life and reduce pain and suffering in the process”, says Dyadic’s CEO Mark A. Emalfarb. Listen to his thoughts on drug and vaccine development in VTT’s new video.
Dyadic's industrially proven filamentous fungal strain of Thermothelomyces heterothallica, nicknamed C1 is known as an extremely robust and efficient protein production organism. In addition to being able to produce high levels of enzymes and other proteins, C1 produces glycan structures similar to the human glycan forms making the glycoengineering work quicker and easier.
In the C1 development program, VTT is utilizing its strong competence in fungal molecular biology and bioprocesses that has been accumulated during more than 30 years of research on a variety of fungi. This collaboration has shown that the C1 system has excellent prospects for becoming a game changing platform for therapeutic protein production.
Further information:
VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd
Christopher Landowski, Research Team Leader
tel. +358 40 482 0856, [email protected]
Markku Saloheimo, Senior Principal Scientist
tel. +358 405760892, [email protected]
Dyadic International, Inc.
Mark A. Emalfarb, Chief Executive Officer
Tel. +1 (561) 743-8333, [email protected]
