Codexis and Alphazyme Partner to Offer Novel Enzymes to Life Science and Diagnostic Markets

First enzymes will target NGS-based diagnostics, RNA-directed viral diagnostics and RNA manufacturing

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. and JUPITER, Fla., June 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Codexis, Inc. (Nasdaq: CDXS), a leading protein engineering company and developer of high-performance enzymes, and Alphazyme LLC, an emerging leader in the development and manufacture of nucleic acid metabolizing enzymes, announce a Co-Marketing & Enzyme Supply Collaboration Agreement for the production and co-marketing of enzymes for life science applications.

The agreement covers the launch of three enzymes to prospective customers over the second and third quarters of 2020. The first enzyme is a high-fidelity DNA polymerase, following up on Codexis’ previously announced high performance DNA ligase, which was exclusively licensed to Roche in late 2019. The Codexis-developed DNA polymerase has been engineered to deliver high fidelity and uniformity of coverage, providing an accurate and representative DNA diagnostic result. The second enzyme is an evolved T7 RNA polymerase for the efficient manufacture and capping of messenger RNA therapeutics and vaccines. The third enzyme is a reverse transcriptase, a critical component in RNA-directed, point-of-care viral diagnostics. Both the T7 RNA polymerase and the reverse transcriptase enzymes are expected to address needs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

This new collaboration will leverage the experience and industry knowledge of the Alphazyme team to accelerate the market introduction of Codexis’ portfolio of high-performing life science and diagnostic enzymes, while providing Alphazyme exclusive manufacturing and co-marketing rights to certain CodeEvolver-improved enzymes. This partnership will jointly promote and sell these enzymes to innovators in life science and diagnostic markets.

“Leveraging the power of Codexis’ CodeEvolver platform, we can disrupt long-standing technical bottlenecks in molecular biology,” said Chris Benoit, Alphazyme’s CEO. “The high fidelity DNA polymerase is a perfect example of how the combination of world-class enzyme engineering, coupled with innovative manufacturing and formulation expertise, can advance genome biology. We are excited to roll out this partnership and connect with the best and the brightest in genomics to tackle their most difficult enzyme challenges.”