VERAXA Biotech AG (NASDAQ:VRXA, "VERAXA"))), an emerging leader in designing novel cancer therapies, today announced the initiation of cell line development for its lead BiTAC® T-cell engager (BiTAC-TCE) program. VERAXA has engaged ATUM, a global leader in bioengineering and cell line development, to apply the proprietary Leap-In Transposase® technology to support stable clonal cell line generation. The collaboration marks a key step in progressing VERAXA’s most advanced T-cell engager candidate toward IND/CTA-enabling activities and supports future clinical development.

"Today’s news underscores our commitment to accelerate the development path of our growing BiTAC-TCE portfolio. Initiating cell line development with ATUM is an important next step for our lead BiTAC-TCE program following the encouraging preclinical data we presented at AACR," said Christoph Erkel, Ph.D., Vice President Research & Development of VERAXA. "Working with a recognized cell line development partner like ATUM allows us to pair our differentiated molecular design with expertise and workflows built for exactly this kind of advanced multi-chain formats."

Cell line development is an important milestone in translating a therapeutic candidate into a manufacturable product. The collaboration with ATUM is intended to support the generation of stable and high-producing clonal cell lines that will be used throughout CMC development, including early process, analytical, and formulation development, as well as the supply of material for nonclinical studies. ATUM's Leap-In Transposase® technology is designed to support efficient stable cell line generation and is particularly relevant for multi-chain antibody formats where balanced expression of multiple components is important, such as VERAXA's BiTAC-TCEs. ATUM‘s Leap-In Transposase® technology has supported the generation of stable cell lines used in over 50 IND submissions, providing VERAXA with an established cell line development approach for advanced biologic formats.