According to Wacker, Pantherna will be its first partner to receive preclinical material from the company’s new production plant used by subsidiary Wacker Biotech, which features four new production lines and is set to go on stream in mid-2024.

The manufacture of the substance called PAN004 is based on a large-scale production process developed by Wacker for mRNA formulated in LNPs, which comprises the entire process – from starting material and plasmid DNA through to the mRNA LNP formulation and dispensed mRNA active ingredient.

Guido Seidel, managing director of Wacker Biotech, said: “Early collaboration with Pantherna made it possible to develop a cost-effective and scalable process. This doesn’t often happen during preclinical stages in a CDMO setting. Close collaboration with our experts in Corporate R&D was the key to success here.”

Jörg Kaufmann, CSO of Pantherna Therapeutics, said: “We are delighted to now see our innovative mRNA active ingredient move from the laboratory to regulated production. This marks an important milestone for our company and opens a new chapter in our joint collaboration.”

Hennigsdorf, Germany-headquartered Pantherna and Wacker Biotech have been collaborating since 2022. As part of a joint research project, the companies developed the manufacturing process for mRNA-based active ingredients using Wacker’s process.