Consortium Funded for HT Glycosylation Assay Study

A consortium including Glythera Limited, a next generation Antibody Drug Conjugate (ADC) company, GlycoSeLect Ltd, developers and producers of recombinant prokaryotic lectins and the Biologics unit of the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI), also part of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, has been awarded £248,000 by Innovate UK to develop a high-throughput glycosylation assay to facilitate the development of next generation biological therapeutics. The Early Stage Feasibility Study award will support high-throughput Lectin based analytical methodology that will be used to streamline drug development pathways using Glythera’s PermaCarb™ technology platform.

The project aims to demonstrate the feasibility of using novel, selective recombinant prokaryotic lectins (RPLs) to develop a companion assay to monitor and characterise specific biotherapeutic glycosylation profiles in a high throughput, low cost manner. GlycoSeLect has previously developed a series of glycan selective RPLs and demonstrated applicability for the characterisation, purification and manufacturing of biotherapeutics.  Transition to a rapid analytical methodology will add further intensification to Glythera’s existing manufacturing processes, allowing rapid characterisation of drug intermediates as well as the final product.

Integrating two novel and powerful technology platforms to provide a complete solution for biotherapeutic glycosylation correction and characterisation has significant potential to accelerate the development of commercially viable drug pipelines, particularly in the growing ADC and biobetter markets.