Through their recently expanded collaboration, Gyros Protein Technologies and Cygnus Technologies are now able to deliver a range of ready-to-use bioprocess impurity reagent sets optimized for use with the Gyrolab platform for the detection of host cell impurities from HEK 293 cells used in vaccine and viral vector manufacturing for cell and gene therapies and vaccines

Gyros Protein Technologies, a Mesa Labs company, a pioneer in automated nanolitre-scale immunoassays and a leading provider of peptide synthesizers and reagents, recently expanded its on-going collaboration with Cygnus Technologies and has introduced a new HEK 293 HCP immunoassay solution, the Cygnus HEK 293 HCP Assay Reagent Set for Gyrolab, the first of a planned range of ready-to-use bioprocess impurity reagent sets optimized for use with the Gyrolab platform. Cygnus will be responsible for the development of the new reagent set as part of the expanded collaboration.

The extension of the collaboration agreement follows the introduction of the Gyrolab CHO HCP and E. coli HCP kits developed through a licensing and supply agreement with Cygnus and the two companies are now expanding their relationship to develop a range of ready-to-use bioprocess impurity reagent sets optimized for use with the Gyrolab platform.

The HEK 293 HCP Assay Reagent Set for Gyrolab from Cygnus Technologies is designed for use with the Gyrolab Bioaffy 1000HC Toolbox and detects residual host cell protein (HCP) from HEK 293 cells, a cell line commonly used in viral vector production for cell and gene therapies as well as in the manufacture of vaccines, the combination forming the HEK 293 HCP Solution for Gyrolab. The companies say the automated nanolitre-scale immunoassay solution supports fast development and streamlined process transfer, increasing productivity, providing faster time to results with less hands-on time with reduced sample volume and reagent consumption, and that the HEK 293 HCP Solution for Gyrolab enables researchers to generate more data in less time for a broader range of analytical applications, allowing faster decision-making.

“There is a real need for analytical tools that support fast turn-around time and small sample volume to accelerate viral vector bioprocess workflows and reduce time to market,” commented Mark Vossenaar, Vice President, General Manager, Biopharmaceutical Development Division at Mesa Labs, adding that the company expected to announce further releases this year. The HEK 293 HCP Assay Reagent Set for Gyrolab is the first of this new, high quality range,”.

Christine Dolan, Chief Operating Officer of Cygnus Technologies, added that the new platform provided an automated solution that could produce high-quality, reproducible results in the bioprocess analytics space and that Cygnus was looking forward to developing a range of ready-to-use solutions for the cell and gene therapy and vaccine markets.

Gyrolab customers welcomed the collaboration and the positive implications for their businesses:

César Trigueros Fernández, Chief Scientific Officer of viral vector manufacturer Viralgen, stated: “As a CDMO working on AAVx vector development and production for gene therapies, we are continuously improving our processes to ensure the best product quality, and to reduce timelines for our partners. The Gyrolab platform and associated ready-to-use Gyrolab AAVx kit have helped us in our mission to improve our analytical quality and productivity within a standardized process,” and added that Viralgen welcomed the HEK 293 HCP Solution for Gyrolab, which he said would further help accelerate the company’s viral vector bioprocess workflows.