Sutro Biopharma Adds to Extensive IP Portfolio with Two Newly Issued Patents and Two Patent Grant Notices — Covers the Only Cell-Free Synthesis Platform Applicable to Protein Discovery Through Production —
South San Francisco, CA (June 9, 2009) Sutro Biopharma, Inc., the leader in open cell-free synthesis (OCFS) for the discovery and production of proteins, announced today that two additional patents, as well as two patent grant notices, have issued pertaining to important aspects of its cell-free protein synthesis technology. These two patent issuances bring to 11 the number of patents covering Sutro’s OCFS technology, with 57 additional patent applications in prosecution. The patents issued were Nos. 2003259912 (AUS), “Methods of In Vitro Protein Synthesis,” and 2004293798 (AUS), ”Improved Methods of In Vitro Protein Synthesis”. The European Patent Office issued the patent grant notices.
“These new patents and patent grant notices are another validation of the unique position our OCFS platform holds within the exciting field of cell-free protein synthesis technology,” said William J. Newell, Sutro Biopharma’s chief executive officer. “The breadth and depth of our patent estate represents an important strategic asset for Sutro. We are the only company with the freedom, as well as the proven ability, to use cell-free protein synthesis from research through commercial production.”
Eight of the 11 issued patents pertaining to cell-free protein synthesis have been issued by the United States. These patents and multiple pending patent applications are subject to an exclusive license to Sutro from Stanford University. Among the patents issued in the United States are patents on fundamental improvements necessary for cell-free production at commercial scale, including the use of inexpensive energy sources vital for production of high quality protein at a reasonable cost. In addition to these patents, other aspects of Sutro’s cell-free synthesis technology are protected as trade secrets.
“While our seminal patents apply to aspects of our technology that are critical for commercial scale production, we also have filed a number of patent applications that apply to research activities using cell-free protein synthesis,” noted Daniel Gold, Ph.D., Sutro Biopharma’s president and chief operating officer. “As pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies come to appreciate the advantages of cell-free protein synthesis, we look forward to collaborative arrangements that leverage the inventions we have made which have applicability from research through commercial production.”
About Sutro’s Open Cell-Free Synthesis (OCFS) Technology
OCFS technology is cell-free synthesis system that employs controlled, catalytically driven biochemical reactions to make multiple classes of proteins. Sutro’s OCFS technology utilizes an optimized E. coli-derived extract to which are added (1) linear DNA or plasmids coding for a protein, (2) inexpensive energy sources and (3) catalysts and chaperones to aid in proper folding and achieving target production titers. Sutro is the first company to demonstrate direct linear scalability for the OCFS technology from micro-liter scale to 100-liter scale, thus enabling higher throughput protein research. The technology platform allows for the generation of multiple protein variants in a day. Combinatorial techniques can then optimize production parameters in days, enabling the production of gram quantities of research candidate proteins within a week. Research timelines are further accelerated due to the scalability of the OCFS technology and the elimination of production cell lines. Sutro has demonstrated proof-of-concept for its technology by producing a wide variety of proteins, including proteins currently produced in mammalian, yeast and bacterial systems using the OCFS platform.
About Sutro Biopharma, Inc.
Sutro Biopharma, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company that uses its patented technology collaboratively for the discovery and production of novel biomedicines for the treatment of human disease. The company’s technology is applicable to a wide variety of novel therapeutic proteins, including cytokines, antibody fragments, Fc fusions, membrane proteins and enzymes.
