May 22 2012
Enginasion and TransCytos announced today that their
collaboration has resulted in a prototype 'transfection' technology that
is designed to have a dramatic and positive impact on the drug-research
industry.
Enginasion's product development partner, TransCytos, is developing a
novel transfection instrument, Cytofector R1™, based on a breakthrough,
patent-pending hydrodynamic transfection technology. "Transfection," the
introduction of genetic material into living cells, is a fundamental and
essential genetic engineering process in biomedical research, and drug
and gene therapy development. It has revolutionized, worldwide, biotech
and pharmaceutical R&D, including the research into such diseases as
cancer, diabetes, arthritis, substance abuse, neurological disorders
such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, and also has applications in the
study of anxiety, aging, and pain management. Furthermore, transfection
is key in the production of recombinant human proteins such as insulin,
hormones, antibiotics, and vaccines.
Frost & Sullivan estimates the 2010 transfection market at $350 million,
with about 200 million transfections conducted per year. However,
existing transfection technologies are limited to a small number of
particular cell types — just five cell lines make up as much as 50% of
the market; in addition, low efficiency and cell viability, as well as
very slow cell recovery, are slowing progress.
"Because the new TransCytos transfection technology is gentle, highly
effective, and does not physically damage cells, it is potentially
capable of transfecting all cell types," says Dr. Otto Prohaska,
CEO of TransCytos. "Current transfection techniques represent a
considerable bottleneck for biomedical and pharma R&D due to low
efficiency, high variability, cellular toxicity, and the inability to
introduce genetic material into many of the most important cell types
relevant to major diseases. The majority of cells are hard or impossible
to transfect, requiring lengthy, expensive procedures with low yield and
poor reproducibility. Field testing of the Cytofector R1 prototype
instrument showed (a) transfection of previously non-transfectable cells
(e.g. neurons), and (b) better transfection efficiencies and expression
of gene products in a shorter period of time, and at lower cost."
"The TransCytos transfection process could contribute to a faster and
more dependable path to drug discovery, a higher success rate for
biotech and pharma, and better cures," added David Bonneau, CEO
of Enginasion. "The capability of transfecting primary cells effectively
is expected to revolutionize progress in research, and especially in
drug discovery, development, and production. Enginasion is very proud to
be the product-development partner of TransCytos."
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