Touchlight announces collaboration with Janssen Biotech

Hampton, London, United Kingdom, 23rd October 2018

Touchlight Genetics Ltd., a biotechnology company developing a novel, synthetic DNA vector platform known as “doggybone” DNA, announced a collaboration with Janssen Biotech, Inc. to evaluate the application of doggybone DNA in the development of multiple genetic therapies, in the fields of infectious disease and oncology. The agreement was facilitated by Johnson & Johnson Innovation Limited.

Under the terms of the agreement, Touchlight will receive research funding to deploy its technology toward two Janssen programs. Janssen and Touchlight will together evaluate and optimise the Touchlight patented DNA vector technology, “doggybone” or dbDNA™ in support of these programs. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

“This is a great opportunity for Touchlight to further build the evidence base for the advantages of its novel DNA platform across a wide range of applications in genetic medicine” said Dr. Clive Dix, Touchlight’s Chairman.

“Touchlight is delighted to be working with Janssen,” said Jonny Ohlson, Founder and CEO of Touchlight. “Touchlight was founded on the vision that innovative technologies were required to realise the vision of genetic medicine. The collaboration with Janssen is an exciting opportunity for Touchlight to exemplify its revolutionary synthetic DNA platform together with a global leader in biopharmaceuticals”

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About Touchlight

Touchlight is a privately-owned CDMO based in London, U.K., focused on the provision of DNA services and manufacture of enzymatically produced doggybone DNA (dbDNA™) to enable the development of genetic medicines. Touchlight provide rapid, enzymatic DNA development and manufacturing for all advanced therapy production, including mRNA, viral and non-viral gene therapy and DNA API. dbDNA is a minimal, linear, covalently closed structure, which eliminates bacterial sequences. Touchlight’s revolutionary enzymatic production platform enables unprecedented speed, scale, and the ability to target genes with a size and complexity that is impossible with current technologies. Clients can be supported from pre-clinical through development and supply, to licencing and tech transfer for use in-house.

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