Novozymes and Novo Nordisk Pharmatech Collaborate on Enzymes for Biopharma Production

Novozymes and Novo Nordisk Pharmatech have formed a collaboration to develop specialty enzymes for use in biopharmaceutical processing and regenerative medicines, with a focus on stem cell and gene therapies. The companies expect to have an initial product within a few years that will be brought to commercialization, they announced in a Nov. 25, 2021 press release.

Novozymes brings extensive enzyme diversity, a large enzyme portfolio, a broad enzyme R&D platform, and strong fermentation capabilities to the collaboration. For its part, Novo Nordisk Pharmatech has recently invested in a purification plant for enzymes for high-quality biopharmaceutical production.

Specialty enzymes are in high demand in the biopharmaceutical industry, driven by the production of proteins and cells, according to the company press release. Older production technologies are increasingly being replaced by enzymatic alternatives, especially in the area of regenerative medicines, which require high quality, pharmaceutical-grade enzymes.

“I am very excited about this collaboration, where synergies between the companies in the Novo Group will come into play and with the prospect of enabling scale-up of processes in the regenerative medicines market,” said Ulla Grove Krogsgaard Thomsen, CEO of Novo Nordisk Pharmatech, in the press release.

Source: Novo Nordisk Pharmatech