Global biopharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) AGC Biologics has announced a major expansion of its Cell Line Development Center of Excellence through a strategic partnership with ATUM. The collaboration will integrate ATUM’s Leap-In Transposase® expression platform into AGC Biologics’ service portfolio, offering drug developers a powerful new technology designed to increase production yields and dramatically shorten timelines to clinical trials. The move comes as developers face intensifying pressure to reduce costs and bring new therapies to market more quickly.
By making ATUM’s modern transposase-based platform available through its global network, AGC Biologics aims to offer a wider range of cell line development options tailored to both simple and highly complex biologics. The technology is particularly beneficial for programs focused on next-generation antibodies—therapeutics engineered to target and kill cancer cells, combat viral infections, and deliver precise immunosuppression for autoimmune diseases.
Kasper Møller, Chief Technical Officer at AGC Biologics, emphasized the urgent need for solutions that balance innovation with efficiency. “We are acutely aware of the dual pressures our customers face: the need to innovate with increasingly complex molecules, and the simultaneous demand to get to the clinic faster and more cost-effectively than ever before,” he said. “Our partnership with ATUM is a direct response to that need. We are not just adding a new technology; we are providing our customers with more options and flexibility. Our plan is to fully integrate the miCHO® and Leap-In technologies and continue to optimize them, ensuring we can help our partners navigate their challenges and succeed.”
ATUM’s Leap-In platform uses a transposase-based method to insert DNA stably into a host cell genome, producing highly productive and genetically stable cell lines at accelerated speeds. According to the company, implementing this technology can shorten development timelines by an average of three months. Its ability to generate high-quality stable pools that closely predict final clonal line performance allows developers to begin critical process development activities earlier, reducing risk and compressing project schedules.
Claes Gustafsson, Co-Founder of ATUM, said the platform was specifically engineered to support the growing complexity of biologics manufacturing. “We developed the miCHO® cell line and Leap-In Transposase® to improve expression robustness, maximize efficiency and increase speed to clinic,” he said. “The combination of our enabling technology with AGC Biologics’ deep manufacturing expertise will create an exceptional offering for the industry.”
The new collaboration complements AGC Biologics’ existing CHEF1® Expression Technology, which has contributed to the development of five commercially approved biologic products. The addition of ATUM’s platform creates a comprehensive suite of cell line development capabilities, giving customers greater flexibility to select solutions that match their molecule type, project timelines, and budget constraints.
These enhanced services will be available across AGC Biologics’ worldwide facilities, including sites in the United States, Europe, and Asia, strengthening the CDMO’s position as a global partner for developers seeking faster, more efficient pathways to the clinic.