Lonza and Junshi Biosciences expand biologics manufacturing collaboration

The antibody-based products will be expressed using Lonza's GS Xceed Gene Expression System

As part of the agreement, Lonza will provide cell line construction and development, the supply of cell culture media and reagents, process development, and GMP manufacturing.

The collaboration will also extend to development and manufacturing support for Junshi Biosciences' current and future antibody-based product pipeline, which includes a new antibody candidate that will be manufactured at Lonza's first mammalian facility in Guangzhou that has been fully operational since Q1 2021.

The main production platform will use Lonza's GS Xceed Expression System, which covers various techniques and commercialised processes such as host cells, expression vectors and optimized culture media.

In addition, Lonza will leverage its manufacturing network for biological products spanning three continents, as well as its globally unified quality control standards to help Junshi Biosciences accelerate its venture into international markets and help bring innovation from China to the world.

Using Lonza's GS Xceed Expression System, Junshi Biosciences has already successfully launched China's first local antibody targeting PD-1 (Toripalimab Injection, TUOYI) in 2018 and took its neutralizing antibody drug JS016 (etesevimab) for COVID-19 to clinical trial stage in 2020.