Codexis to collaborate with Eli Lilly on the development of improved fermentation processes

Codexis, a subsidiary of Maxygen, has entered into a multi-year collaboration with Eli Lilly to develop improved fermentations for several of Lilly's natural product drugs.

The collaboration will take advantage of Codexis' Whole Genome Shuffling strain improvement technologies, which enable significant improvements in the production of fermentation-based pharmaceuticals and chemicals in a fraction of the time required by competitive approaches.

Under the terms of the collaboration, Lilly will provide Codexis with up-front technology access funding and full research funding; Codexis will be eligible to receive research and commercialisation milestone payments as well as payments upon successful commercialisation.

'The collaboration with Lilly underscores the progress Codexis has made in establishing Whole Genome Shuffling as a valuable platform for improving fermentation based processes within the pharmaceutical sector,' said Dr Alan Shaw, president and ceo of Codexis.