SGMO signs Novo to technology evaluation deal for ZFP-enabled protein production:
>>BAGSVAERD, Denmark and RICHMOND, Calif., Sept. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE: NVO - News) and Sangamo BioSciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: SGMO - News) today announced an agreement that provides Novo Nordisk with access to Sangamo's proprietary zinc finger DNA-binding protein (ZFP) technology. Sangamo will provide its ZFP technology for Novo Nordisk to evaluate for use in the field of enhanced protein production.
"Novo Nordisk recognizes the need for innovative technologies that aid in the rapid development of novel therapies to combat disease," said Esper Boel, Vice-President and Head of Biotechnology of Novo Nordisk. "We look forward to evaluating Sangamo's proprietary technology for enhanced protein production."
"We are very pleased to be able to provide Novo Nordisk, the world leader in diabetes care, with our ZFP technology," said Edward Lanphier, Sangamo's president and chief executive officer. "We have engineered ZFP transcription factors that can significantly increase production from genes expressing protein pharmaceuticals and we can engineer zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs(TM)) to facilitate the efficient generation of production cell lines with altered traits. With the increased approval and demand for protein pharmaceuticals, we believe that our technology has an important place in modern drug development."
ZFPs are the dominant class of naturally occurring transcription factors in organisms from yeast to humans. Transcription factors, which are found in the nucleus of every cell, bind to DNA to regulate gene expression. Though there are many kinds of transcription factors, only zinc finger DNA-binding proteins are amenable to engineering and precise targeting to a particular gene or genes of interest.<<
Cheers, Tuck |
