Bionova Scientific Licenses ATUM's Proprietary Transposon-Based Gene Delivery Technology to Accelerate & De-Risk Cell Line Development

FREMONT, Calif., May 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Bionova Scientific, an Asahi Kasei boutique commercial-scale biologics contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), today announced it has licensed ATUM's proprietary Leap-In Transposase^® transposon-based gene delivery and its miCHO^™ cell line development technologies.

ATUM's Leap-In Transposase technology can achieve high levels of gene integration, resulting in a large number of cells with the desired gene insertion, precise integration as a single copy into the host cell's genome, and integration into multiple locations within the genome, reducing the risk of gene silencing or other adverse effects. When used in a cell line development program, Leap-In Transposase technology delivers productive, stable, and robust cell lines, including at the stable pool stage.

Bionova possesses extensive expertise across the biologics lifecycle. By combining Bionova's cell line development toolbox with ATUM's Leap-In Transposase^®, innovators will have access to highly productive stable pools and clones. Coupled with Bionova's track record of finding solutions for complex technical challenges and exceeding expectations, customers can anticipate increased facility output and stable production that will facilitate further innovations in the field. These capabilities are particularly important to clients at the later stages of discovery, and can help them quickly proceed through cell line development with robust chemistry, manufacturing and controls (CMC).

"Momentum is often lost between the discovery and development phases of monoclonal antibodies and other therapeutic proteins, creating major challenges for emerging companies while introducing financial, technical, and regulatory risks," said Douglas Mogensen, Vice President, Business Development at Bionova Scientific. "By leveraging cutting-edge technologies like ATUM's transposon-based gene delivery platform and cell line technologies, Bionova is able to make standardized manufacturing platforms more accessible to its clients, minimizing risks and sustaining progress through what is commonly known as 'the valley of death' for programs transitioning from discovery to development."

"Leap-In technology provides a gene delivery system with a greater frequency of gene integration, resulting in a step-change improvement in clonal hit rates with high productivity. This eliminates much of the trial-and-error work of earlier methods and greatly streamlines our cell line development and screening workflows," said Joyce Lee, Director of Cell Line Development at Bionova. "As a result, we can now shorten timelines for individual client projects, while also handling several more projects simultaneously." 

About ATUM

ATUM offers an integrated pipeline of tools including gene design, optimization and synthesis, expression vectors, and platforms for protein and cellular engineering and production. The company exploits the dependence of biological activity on well-designed sequences. ATUM's tools and solutions are fueling the transformation of biology from a discovery science to an engineering discipline. By collaborating with our clients, ATUM accelerates breakthroughs and moves research further faster. For more information please visit: www.atum.bio.

About Bionova Scientific

Bionova Scientific partners with innovators in the biologic industry to bring life-changing therapies to market. Founded in 2014 and acquired by Asahi Kasei Group in 2022, Bionova Scientific offers customers access to superior tools and technologies and an unwavering commitment to quality delivered with scientific excellence across the entire lifecycle. Bionova offers integrated CDMO services that span cell line development, process development to commercial cGMP manufacturing of complex proteins and antibodies. Our experienced scientists bring proven expertise to overcoming discovery to first-in-human development challenges and scale-up. Bionova is a flexible and collaborative partner that has worked with leading biotechnology innovators from its new state-of-the-art facility in the San Francisco Bay Area. For more information, visit bionovascientific.com.

About Asahi Kasei

The Asahi Kasei Group contributes to life and living for people around the world. Since its foundation in 1922 with ammonia and cellulose fiber businesses, Asahi Kasei has consistently grown through the proactive transformation of its business portfolio to meet the evolving needs of every age. With more than 48,000 employees worldwide, the company contributes to a sustainable society by providing solutions to the world's challenges through its three business sectors of Material, Homes, and Health Care. Its health care operations include devices and systems for acute critical care, dialysis, therapeutic apheresis, and manufacture of biotherapeutics, as well as pharmaceuticals and diagnostic reagents. For more information, visit asahi-kasei.com and ak-bio.com.

Media Contacts:

Jesse McCool, Ph.D., CSO, Bionova Scientific
t: +1 (405)279-6767
e: [email protected]

Chris Halling, Director of Communications, Orientation Marketing
t: +44 (0)7580 041073
e: [email protected]

SOURCE Bionova Scientific