Codexis Enters Exclusive Licensing Agreement for Newly Engineered Double-Stranded DNA Ligase with Roche

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Feb. 26, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Codexis, Inc. (NASDAQ: CDXS), a leading enzyme engineering company, today announced it has entered into an agreement with Roche for an exclusive, global license for the Company’s newly engineered double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) ligase for next-generation sequencing (NGS) library preparation and the Company’s EvoT4 DNA ligase. Under the terms of the deal, Codexis will receive upfront and technical milestone payments. This deal supersedes the prior exclusive license on the EvoT4 DNA ligase.

“This transaction is the latest example of our ongoing commitment to focusing on the core areas of our business where we have the biggest opportunity to create impact in the market,” said Kevin Norrett, MBA, Chief Operating Officer of Codexis. “Since announcing our prioritized strategy last July, we’ve executed multiple deals to monetize our non-core assets with market-leading companies. We are excited to collaborate again with Roche on this novel, dsDNA ligase. As a leader in NGS technologies, Roche continues to bring important kits to market that provide the sensitivity and specificity required for the next wave of innovative NGS applications. With Roche’s technical ability and commercial reach, we now have the ability to maximize the potential of our dsDNA ligase.”

Engineered using Codexis’ proprietary CodeEvolver technology, this newly engineered dsDNA ligase improves the ligation efficiency of DNA fragments and adapters, without bias, during NGS library preparation. This is especially beneficial for NGS workflows requiring the highest sensitivity, even when the amount of starting material is constrained. Compared to wild-type enzyme, the newly engineered dsDNA ligase is developed to higher ligation efficiency in shorter reaction times and higher library yields and complexity, with minimal substrate sequence bias.

About Codexis
Codexis is a leading enzyme engineering company leveraging its proprietary CodeEvolver technology platform to discover, develop and enhance novel, high-performance enzymes and other classes of proteins. Codexis enzymes solve for real-world challenges associated with small molecule pharmaceuticals manufacturing and nucleic acid synthesis. The Company is currently developing its proprietary ECO Synthesis platform to enable the scaled manufacture of RNAi therapeutics through an enzymatic route. Codexis’ unique enzymes can drive improvements such as higher yields, reduced energy usage and waste generation, improved efficiency in manufacturing and greater sensitivity in genomic and diagnostic applications. For more information, visit www.codexis.com.