BIOPROTEIN AND EUROGENTEC ENTER INTO A STRATEGIC ALLIANCE FOR THE PRODUCTION OF THERAPEUTIC PROTEINS

Paris, France & Liège, Belgium… BioProtein Technologies, the French biotechnology Company specialising in the production of therapeutic proteins in the milk of transgenic rabbits, and Eurogentec Group, announce today they have entered into a strategic alliance for the production of therapeutic proteins. Under the terms of the agreement, Eurogentec becomes BioProtein Technologies’s privileged partner for the downstream processing of the recombinant proteins that are produced.

Marc Le Bozec, CEO of BioProtein Technologies commented: “This collaboration demonstrates our commitment to deliver very high quality therapeutic proteins to our customers and reinforces our ability to complete the most rigorous specifications in protein production. Our unique expertise based on the generation of transgenic rabbits, puts us in a strong position to produce complex recombinant proteins from grams to ten kilograms in a fast, safe and cost effective framework thereby enabling us to play a key role in meeting the increasing demand of the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.”

“We are very happy at Eurogentec to collaborate with BioProtein Technologies. The synergy between our companies represents an ideal solution to meet the increasing demands of the pharmaceutical industry for the production of therapeutic proteins. This new collaboration highlights the dedicated and reliable services we provide to our partners and customers,” says Dr Michel Thiry, Manager of the Biologics Business Unit of Eurogentec.

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Notes to the Editors

About BioProtein Technologies
www.bioprotein.com
BioProtein Technologies is the world leader in the production of recombinant proteins in the milk of transgenic rabbits. The company’s unique contract manufacturing capabilities have been designed to meet the increasing demands of the pharmaceutical and the biotechnology industries for therapeutic protein production. Rabbits offer great advantages in terms of scale-up and time-to-market and can produce up to 6-8 litres of milk per year. From the annual production of 400 rabbits, 5-10 kg of protein can be isolated and purified to a very high quality.BioProtein Technologies has a strong expertise through the entire manufacturing process from genes or cDNA expression to animal production. The Company is using high quality science, for example from INRA, as the foundation for building BioProtein Technologies into a world leading producer of therapeutic proteins. The Company has produced complex and difficult-to-express proteins, including monoclonal antibodies, hormones and vaccinating antigens, all of which demonstrates BioProtein Technologies’ ability to fulfil the most rigorous specifications in protein production.
As a corporation, Bioprotein Technologies recognizes that it has a specific responsibility towards the animals that it generates and breeds for the production of therapeutic proteins. The Company conducts its animal research and development according to the highest ethical standards.
The Company was founded in 1998 and successfully completed its first € 8 million financial round in May 2001.

About Eurogentec
www.eurogentec.com
Eurogentec s.a. is a privately held company founded in 1985 as a spin-off of the University of Liège (Belgium). Its business is oriented along two main lines:
Eurogentec s.a. serves molecular biology laboratories with a wide range of products and services based on its special expertise in oligonucleotide synthesis.
The Biologics Unit provides complete services to the biopharmaceutical industry ranging from R&D to the custom manufacturing of clinical batches of biologics in full compliance with Good Manufacturing Practices.
Eurogentec’s employs a young, enthusiastic team of more than 230 PhDs, engineers, scientists, technicians, and commercial and administrative staff. Beside its Belgian headquarters, located in the Science Park of the University of Liège, Eurogentec has now established production sites in the UK and Japan, subsidiaries in France, Germany, and the Netherlands, and a branch office in Switzerland.