• Multi-year collaboration allows GSK to leverage Elegen’s cell-free synthetic DNA production technology.
• Agreement provides Elegen up to $35 million in near-term financial and development support and fees, in addition to sales of ENFINIA^™ DNA and a potential equity investment in Elegen by GSK.

SAN CARLOS, Calif. / Jan 24, 2024 / Business Wire / Elegen, a leader in DNA manufacturing innovation, today announced a collaboration and licensing agreement with GSK (LSE/NYSE: GSK) to enable its use of Elegen’s proprietary cell-free DNA manufacturing technology in the development of GSK’s vaccines and medicines.

The terms of the agreement include upfront fees and purchase commitments of Elegen’s ENFINIA DNA to support GSK’s development of medicines and vaccines, including RNA vaccines. Elegen is also eligible to receive both near-term milestone payments relating to the development of new product features and a potential equity investment in Elegen by GSK.

Commercially launched in March of last year, ENFINIA DNA delivers NGS-verified, high-complexity, clonal-quality, linear DNA up to 7kb in as fast as seven business days. Unlike conventional synthesis of mRNA from linearized plasmid DNA, Elegen’s DNA is produced entirely cell-free, with the potential to enable a seamless transition from discovery to clinical scale-up under GMP. This technology may save significant time and substantial resources spent iteratively cloning, linearizing and purifying plasmid DNA as well as generating master cell banks. Elegen’s innovation in cell-free DNA manufacturing technology represents a significant leap forward that could power the next generation of mRNA, cell and gene therapies.

This collaboration follows the Early Access Program launched by Elegen in May of last year that offered DNA of longer length and higher complexity to select customers. “Over the past year dozens of customers, including multiple top 10 biopharma, have validated the unprecedented speed, length, accuracy and complexity of our cell-free DNA manufacturing technology,” said Matthew Hill, Ph.D., Elegen founder and CEO. “GSK recognizes the importance of a reliable, turnkey supply of DNA for a variety of applications for which speed, accuracy and quality of DNA synthesis are essential. This collaboration will expand our offering to include the clinical production of genetic medicines potentially including mRNA, cell and viral gene therapies.”

About Elegen

Elegen is bringing unique insights and technical innovation to create high-quality synthetic DNA faster, catalyzing the next revolution in the life sciences. The company is led by seasoned leaders with decades of experience developing novel and scalable approaches in molecular biology, chemistry and microfluidics. Elegen uses a proprietary microfluidics approach to build longer, higher-quality DNA on a faster timeline for agricultural, chemical, healthcare and pharma industries. Founded in 2017, Elegen is privately held and based in the San Francisco Bay Area. For more information, visit elegenbio.com and connect with us on LinkedIn and X (Twitter).