Bionova Scientific Licences ATUM’s Leap-In Transposase to Boost Cell Line Development

• Bionova Scientific has licensed ATUM’s Leap-In Transposase and miCHO technologies to enhance its cell line development capabilities.

• The deal aims to support clients progressing from discovery to development, improving productivity and reducing risk.

Bionova Scientific, a boutique biologics CDMO and subsidiary of Asahi Kasei, has announced a licensing agreement with ATUM to incorporate its proprietary Leap-In Transposase gene delivery system and miCHO cell line development technologies into Bionova’s manufacturing platform.

The Leap-In Transposase technology enables high levels of gene integration and stable expression by inserting genes as single copies in multiple genome locations. This reduces risks such as gene silencing and improves clonal hit rates, leading to more efficient cell line development processes. According to the company, these capabilities will enhance stable pool generation and shorten development timelines for clients.

The technologies will be integrated into Bionova’s existing cell line development toolbox. The CDMO aims to offer innovators a more reliable and standardised platform, particularly for monoclonal antibodies and other therapeutic proteins in late discovery or early development.

Douglas Mogensen, Vice President of Business Development at Bionova, said, “By leveraging cutting-edge technologies like ATUM’s transposon-based gene delivery platform and cell line technologies, Bionova is able to make standardized manufacturing platforms more accessible to its clients.”

The company states that the agreement will help minimise technical and regulatory risks for emerging biotech clients and allow Bionova to support a greater number of simultaneous development projects.