CHA Biotech's U.S. Subsidiary Matica Expands Beyond CGT into Proteins

[Financial News]   CHA Biotech's U.S. subsidiary Matica Biotechnology is expanding its business beyond cell and gene therapy (CGT) into recombinant proteins. The strategy is to diversify its customer base by applying the process-development (PD) expertise it has accumulated through its existing CGT contract development and manufacturing (CDMO) business to new biomaterials.
CHA Biotech said on the 21st that Matica Biotechnology will provide process-optimization services to U.S. biotech company Bondwell Technologies for the production of next-generation protein materials.
Bondwell is developing a proprietary protein biomaterials platform that leverages proteins' binding and self-assembly properties. The company plans to expand its applications to pharmaceuticals as well as the environmental and energy sectors.
The notable aspect of this collaboration is Matica's expansion of its process-development capabilities from CGT into recombinant proteins. Matica will optimize the production process for the protein materials Bondwell is developing, shorten development timelines, and support future commercialization.
In practice, Matica plans to use the project as a foothold for securing more contracts from biotech companies in Texas. College Station, Texas, where Matica is based, is home to a concentration of biotech companies and research institutions centered around Texas A&M University. The strategy is to secure early-stage companies as process-development clients and then connect them to subsequent CDMO demand.
A biotech industry source said, "CGT CDMO contracts can fluctuate depending on the clinical progress of individual projects. Expanding existing process-development technology to recombinant proteins could help broaden the customer base and improve utilization of production facilities."
Paul Kim, CEO of Matica Bio, added, "We will work with biotech companies in Texas to foster innovative technologies and strengthen the competitiveness of the local biotech ecosystem."
Meanwhile, CHA Biotech established Matica Bio to enter the U.S. CGT CDMO market. The company completed construction of its CGT production facility in College Station, Texas, in 2022. It is seeking to expand contracts based on its proprietary cell line, MatiMax, as well as its analytical development (AD) and process-development (PD) technologies.
[email protected] Kim Kyung-a Reporter