Touchlight signs patent license agreement with Pfizer for the use of dbDNA for the manufacture of mRNA-based vaccines, therapeutics and gene therapies
Published: 6 July 2022
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Pfizer and Touchlight agree to patent license for Pfizer to utilise rapid, scalable, enzymatic doggybone DNA (dbDNA) in Pfizer’s clinical and commercial manufacture of its mRNA vaccines, therapeutics, and gene therapies
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Agreement includes upfront payment, potential development and commercial milestone payments, and royalties upon commercialization
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Access to dbDNA patent rights enables Pfizer’s rapid production of DNA template as starting materials for mRNA-based vaccines and other therapeutics
Hampton, UK, – 6 July, 2022 – Touchlight, a biotechnology company pioneering enzymatic DNA production to enable the genetic medicine revolution, today announces a non-exclusive patent license agreement with Pfizer.
Under the license agreement, Pfizer gains rights to Touchlight’s enzymatic doggybone DNA (dbDNA™) patent portfolio for worldwide use in Pfizer’s manufacture and commercialisation of its messenger RNA-based vaccines, therapeutics and gene therapies. Touchlight will receive an upfront payment, as well as clinical and commercial milestone payments and royalties upon commercialisation.
Touchlight’s patented dbDNA technology produces a minimal, linear, double stranded, covalently closed DNA vector through an enzymatic manufacturing process. dbDNA is uniquely positioned for the rapid, synthetic, and scalable manufacture of GMP DNA using a small, simple footprint. The technology can manufacture genes >20kb and accommodate sequences typically unstable as plasmid DNA in E. coli, such as those found in viral vector and mRNA production. In addition to mRNA vaccines, it is ideally suited for the development of DNA vaccines, advanced therapies, and more.
“We are delighted to establish this agreement with Pfizer to license our mRNA manufacturing platform. This agreement is an example of our technology’s potential to enable companies across the genetic medicine sector to simplify and accelerate DNA manufacturing through the clinic and towards commercialisation.”
Jonny Ohlson, Founder and Executive Chair, Touchlight
Financial terms are not disclosed.
About Touchlight
Touchlight is an innovation-driven leading CDMO pioneering enzymatic GMP DNA production to enable the genetic medicine revolution. As pioneers, with an FDA Drug Master File accepted in 2022 followed in 2025 with the world’s first cell-free DNA GMP license, Touchlight’s enzymatic DNA technology is on the cutting edge of AAV, mRNA, DNA vaccine, and gene editing technology with its state-of-the-art facility recognised by ISPE’s Facility of the Year Awards (FOYA) for Innovation.
With multiple client products already in the clinic, Touchlight’s evidence-based, synthetic DNA manufacturing solutions offer a scalable, sustainable alternative to plasmid DNA (pDNA) for all stages of pre-clinical, clinical and commercial development. The company and technology are built on the conviction that DNA is fundamental to the future of medicine. Traditional methods, based on bacterial fermentation, are slow, costly, and unable to meet the growing demands of genetic medicine due to limited scalability and speed. Founded in 2007, Touchlight’s team is inspired by breakthroughs in genetic medicine, recognising the urgent need for innovative DNA production techniques to support the future of genetic therapies.
For more information please contact:
Karen Fallen, Chief Executive Officer
Verna McErlane, Chief Commercial Officer
E: info@touchlight.com
T: +44 20 8481 9200
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