Ajinomoto BioPharma Services, a fully owned subsidiary of Ajinomoto Co. Inc. and XL-protein, a privately owned German biopharmaceutical company based at IZB in Freising, announced their strategic alliance. Ajinomoto will combine its proprietary Corynex® expression system with XL-protein’s proprietary PASylation®-technology to extend plasma half-life and develop a series of therapeutic compounds.
Claus Schalper, CEO of XL-protein, commented: “We are excited to work with Ajinomoto, a leading Japanese life science company, to further exploit the potential of our PASylation®-technology and to develop new therapeutic options for treating metabolic diseases.”

“The alliance combining PASylation® and Corynex® expression technology will provide novel drug candidates with a prolonged half-life and cGMP ready production system with high yield, widening our product range for pharmaceutical companies and eventually meaningful therapeutic options for patients,” outlined Michiya Kanzaki, Associate General Manager / Business Development of Ajinomoto.
Ajinomoto and XL-protein have established the efficient production of a proprietary PASylated GLP-1 variant with extended half-life at laboratory scale. In vivo pharmacokinetic studies in mice have revealed a drastically prolonged half-life, suggesting potentially weekly or biweekly administration in human patients. Ajinomoto is seeking a partnering process for this molecule.