Lonza, Touchlight Ink mRNA Deal

Lonza, a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) serving the pharma, biotech, and nutrition sectors, is collaborating with Touchlight, a biotech company that specializes in enzymatic DNA production. Through this partnership, Lonza will be able to integrate an additional, differentiated source of DNA in its end-to-end offering to customers developing mRNA therapeutics and vaccines, while Touchlight can widen the channels through which customers can gain access to its novel doggybone DNA (dbDNA) technology.

Per the terms of the agreement, Lonza can offer its customers access to Touchlight’s enzymatic DNA technology; a linear, covalently closed DNA vector that is produced using an enzymatic manufacturing process that enables good manufacturing practice (GMP) production. Access to this technology expands the options for Lonza’s customers beyond the traditional method of working with plasmid DNA (pDNA), while continuing to benefit from the company’s integrated mRNA manufacturing offering.

“The strategic collaboration with Touchlight enables Lonza to further enhance its position as a global leader in mRNA manufacturing. We can now provide our customers with a strong foundation to deliver an end-to-end offering that includes access to a novel synthetic DNA technology,” notes André Goerke, vice president, business unit head, mRNA, Lonza. "Such an integrated solution can prove beneficial in speeding up time to market, which is critical in the fast-paced industry of mRNA manufacturing.”