Codexis and Merck sign technology collaboration

US biotech company Codexis has entered into a significant technology collaboration with Merck & Co. under which Merck will become the first subscriber to the new Codex Biocatalyst Panels, a next-generation biocatalysis research product.

The Codex Panels, launched in February, enable pharmaceutical manufacturers to harness the power of biocatalysts to increase r&d and manufacturing productivity while significantly reducing cost. Under terms of the three-year agreement, Merck will gain non-exclusive access to proprietary Codexis biocatalysts for in-house application to its pipeline. Additional terms were not disclosed.

Codexis now offers sets of diagnostic enzyme panels that partners can use internally to screen for reactivity in desired process reactions. These enzymes have been optimised for use in pharmaceutical manufacturing, and are provided in a convenient 96-well format to efficiently determine if a biocatalytic solution is available for a chemically challenging process step.

The panels are designed to quickly and broadly exploit Codexis' proprietary technologies. Panel data is used by Codexis to quickly develop product-specific, customised biocatalysts and biocatalytic processes for pharmaceutical partners.

'Use of these panels can cut custom biocatalyst development time significantly, and the resulting new development processes can potentially reduce cost of goods and capital expenditures in both the near and long term,' said Dr Alan Shaw, Codexis president and ceo. 'Merck can now apply Codexis technology in-house to identify optimisable biocatalytic process solutions for multiple drug candidates across its pipeline.'