Amsterdam,
Netherlands. Exponential Biotherapies'
food Safety Division and CatchMabs announce they have signed contracts for the large scale commercial production of
bacteriophages.
Bacteriophages are "friendly"
viruses that target and kill specific
bacteria. They are abundant in the environment -- including in our food and
water. Through use of the right phage strains, and in the right amounts, Exponential Biotherapies has developed a "green" approach to controlling bacterial pathogens in the food supply. The company has pioneered this approach, which enables food producers to protect their products without having to use agents (such as antibiotics) that can be harmful to health as well as to the environment.
"The commercially viable production of
phages is an art as well as a science", says the Division's Chief Operating Officer, Dirk de Meester. "The combination of our specialized bacteriophage knowledge and their innovative production process is groundbreaking, and unique to the business".
"The collaboration with Exponential Biotherapies allows us to leverage our experience in producing affinity molecules and to expedite our investments in production capacity," says Dr. Peter Sijmons, CEO of CatchMabs. "This will further establish our position as large scale producer of inexpensive affinity
proteins for which we use the same infrastructure."