Manufacturing Biologics Smarter

TransGenRx, Inc. (TGRx), in partnership with the LSU AgCenter, has developed a technology that significantly reduces the cost of manufacturing protein-based drugs. TGRx, established in 2002, has been able to harness the potential of the chicken as a bioreactor and the egg as the perfect package for protein production on a commercial scale. Chicken eggs, as proven by decades of FDA-approved vaccine production, are a reliable and safe source of products for human use.

Protein therapeutics, or biologics, is the fastest-growing segment of the drug industry with annual sales predicted to reach $70 billion by 2008. Traditional manufacturing facilities for these types of drugs are extremely costly (hundreds of millions of dollars) and take up to five years to build. TGRx’s breakthrough technology is more cost-effective and cuts years from construction time. TGRx has the potential to significantly lower the cost of protein drug production and is in negotiations for contracts to produce proteins to treat human diseases, including cancer, and veterinary products.

TGRx’s technology provides the first significant advancement in protein manufacturing in 25 years and will introduce a new era of pharmaceutical protein manufacturing.

How the Technology Works

The chief developer of the technology used by the company is LSU AgCenter scientist Dr. Richard K. Cooper, a professor of veterinary science. He discovered how to change chickens’ DNA so they lay eggs containing specific proteins and produce offspring that can lay these same eggs. The transfection rate of these chickens is more than 70 percent, which means more than 70 percent of the offspring have the same DNA as their parents and can produce the same protein in their eggs. And they can do this through the fourth generation.

The company’s core technology is the targeted integration of a desired gene sequence into virtually any animal and the controlled expression of that sequence to achieve a desired outcome (protein production, gene therapy, etc.). Read the Technology Overview. This is the “holy grail” of molecular biology and recombinant DNA technology, the disciplines that make up biotech drug development. Through the creative use of its technology, TGRx is poised to enter the market with virtually unlimited growth potential. This technology will make it possible to save millions of lives through the production of protein therapeutics and diagnostics that have not been economically feasible to produce in the past.

Using the chicken as the bioreactor allows for rapid and scalable production at a fraction of the current cost and meets the needs of a production system as complex as the proteins themselves. By using an intact animal as the expression system, proper post-translational modifications (including folding and glycosylation) enhance the production and development of more complex therapies.

TGRx is well-positioned to address and solve the clear and present need for production capacity in the biotherapeutic industry.

Where We Are Located

TGRx, which has in excess of $2.5 million in the most advanced equipment for DNA vector construction and protein analysis and purification, currently resides in 10,000 square feet of laboratory and production space and two animal housing areas (including a poultry farm). All are located on the LSU AgCenter campus.

In 2006, the company will expand its facilities to 30,000 square feet of laboratory/production space when it moves to the Louisiana Emerging Technologies Center, a new building opened in late 2005 on the LSU campus. Operated by the LSU Research and Technology Foundation, this center is a business incubator for start-up biotechnology companies. It offers state-of-the-art laboratory equipment and space to help its tenants get their businesses up and running. The center was established with special funding from the Louisiana Legislature through Louisiana Economic Development to spur new high-tech business for the state.