Ajinomoto Althea, Inc. Selected As A Finalist In 26TH Annual CONNECT Most Innovative New Product Awards

SAN DIEGO, Nov. 4, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Ajinomoto Althea, Inc., a contract development and manufacturing organization, announced today that its Corynex® Recombinant Protein Expression System has been selected as a finalist in the Life Sciences – Diagnostic & Research Tools category for the 2013 Most Innovative New Product Awards, sponsored by CONNECT.  CONNECT, a regional program that catalyzes the creation of innovative technology and life sciences products in San Diego County, continues its twenty-six year tradition of honoring San Diego's leaders of innovation and groundbreaking new products with the annual award.

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"We are very pleased to be recognized as a company that contributes to the rich innovative tradition found in the San Diego biotech community, and we are equally excited to offer the Corynex® platform to our customers as they drive to commercialization with their critical therapeutics and vaccines," said Kristin DeFife, Director of Biologics Manufacturing at Ajinomoto Althea.

Corynex® Recombinant Protein Expression System is a novel protein expression system able to produce complex proteins using a specially-developed gram-positive bacterium, Corynebacterium glutamicum. Conventional microbial-based expression systems use organisms such as E. coli, Pseudomonas and yeast which can require multiple purification steps to remove significant host-related contaminants and inefficient protein refolding. Corynex®, a breakthrough, patented system overcomes these challenges and allows for the isolation of higher yields of biologically active proteins by secreting proteins directly into the media with high initial purity. With Corynex®, Ajinomoto Althea has perfected a protein expression system that reduces costs, speeds time to market, and ultimately ensures that patients receive life-saving medicines as quickly as possible.

The CONNECT Most Innovative New Product Awards ceremony, to be held at the Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines on Dec. 6, will honor product innovation in the following categories: Aerospace & Security Technologies, Communications & IT, Hardware & General Technology, Life Sciences – Diagnostics & Research Tools, Life Sciences – Medical Products, Mobile Apps, Software, Sport & Active Lifestyle Technologies and Sustainability.

"This year's finalists are among the strongest we've seen," said Tyler Orion, interim president, CONNECT. "In the 26 years we've produced the MIP Awards, we've seen San Diego County continue to produce impressive technology innovation across a broad range of industries, and selecting winners from among this year's group of finalists will be an exciting challenge."

The 2013 Most Innovative New Product Awards receive generous support from lead sponsors Life Technologies and Qualcomm, as well as supporting sponsors including AmericanWest Bank, Barney & Barney, Cox, Cymer, D&K Engineering, Hughes Marino, Kaiser Permanente, Knobbe Martens, Merck and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

For the complete list of winners and other information please visit the Most Innovative New Product Awards website.

About Ajinomoto Althea, Inc.
Ajinomoto Althea, Inc. is a fully integrated, contract development and manufacturing organization located in San Diego, CA providing clinical and commercial product development services.  Ajinomoto Althea offers cGMP drug product filling in both vials and syringes, and production of microbial-derived recombinant proteins and plasmid DNA. In conjunction with these manufacturing operations, Ajinomoto Althea offers comprehensive development services including: upstream and downstream process development, analytical development, lyophilization cycle, complex formulation, product release and ICH-compliant stability testing. Ajinomoto Althea's formulation technology platform includes Crystalomics®, a proprietary technology that offers a formulation solution for large molecule products that must be delivered at high concentrations or as sustained release formulations. Ajinomoto Althea also has an innovative and proven recombinant protein expression technology called Corynex®. For more information visit us at www.altheatech.com.

About CONNECT
CONNECT is a regional program that catalyzes the creation of innovative technology and life sciences products in San Diego County by creating an environment in which inventors and entrepreneurs have access to the resources they need for success. Since 1985, CONNECT has assisted in the formation and development of more than 3,000 companies and is now widely regarded as one of the world's most successful organizations linking inventors and entrepreneurs with the resources they need for commercialization of innovative products. As a result, the program has been modeled in more than 50 regions around the world – most recently in New York City, Bogotá, Colombia and Saudi Arabia. To learn more about CONNECT, please visit www.connect.org or call 858.964.1300.

SOURCE Ajinomoto Althea, Inc.