New research into the production of proteins with extended circulatory half-life

Novozymes Biopharma, part of Novozymes A/S, the world leader in bioinnovation, today announced that it will present the company’s latest research into the development of proteins with extended circulatory half-life at the Next Generation Protein Therapeutics Summit 2011, taking place June 20-22, San Francisco, CA.

The presentation which offers new insight into the production of albumin fusions, will describe Novozymes’ new AlbufuseFlex technology. The technology is expected to have applications in drug delivery where it may be used to tailor drug half life, thereby enhancing effectiveness while improving patient quality of life. For more information, please visit www.biopharma.novozymes.com.

Dave Mead, business development director at Novozymes Biopharma, comments:

“We are pleased to present our latest advances in albumin fusion technology at The Next Generation Protein Therapeutics Summit. These innovations pave the way for flexibility and efficiency to support manufacturers in developing novel drugs. The company’s new AlbufuseFlex technology illustrates an exciting new era as it can offer the potential to tailor half-life according to specific medical needs.”

The presentation, entitled ‘Albumin Fusions: A Simple, Broad Platform for the Production of Proteins with Extended Circulatory Half-Life’, will be presented by Les Evans, Ph.D., Scientific Manager, Novozymes Biopharma on Wednesday, June 22, 2011 at 1.00pm. Short circulatory half-life is a major challenge for the therapeutic use of many peptides and proteins. Recombinant fusions of such molecules to albumin have demonstrated significantly enhanced pharmacokinetic profiles alongside bioactivity. The presentation will describe advances in the production of albumin fusions which will further enhance their potential in protein and peptide delivery.

Novozymes’ AlbufuseFlex technology has been developed in collaboration with The University of Oslo, Norway, a leading institution in the research of albumin and its interaction with the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn): an interaction which saves it from the normal degradative pathway experienced by other plasma proteins. Built on Novozymes’ original Albufuse platform, AlbufuseFlex has been designed to manipulate this interaction and as a result modify the half-life of the albumin or fusion thereof. The enhanced technology also provides a delivery vehicle for molecules via conjugation to albumin, offering a broad scope of usability. The AlbufuseFlex technology has one published patent application and two patent applications awaiting publication.

*Albufuse is a registered trademark of Novozymes.

For further information on Novozymes’ new AlbufuseFlex technology or to find out more about Novozymes’ presentation at The Next Generation Protein Therapeutics Summit, please visit www.biopharma.novozymes.com.