Swiss-based Biosynth Carbosynth acquires Dutch company Pepscan: Know more

Switzerland-based Biosynth Carbosynth, a supplier of hybrid research products and services to the life sciences industry, announced on Thursday (June 30, 2022) that it has acquired Pepscan, a Dutch company that provides peptide-based products and services.

Peptides are short chains of amino acids linked by peptide bonds. Peptide therapeutics are used for the treatment of diseases. Naturally occurring peptides may serve as hormones, growth factors, neurotransmitters, ion channel ligands, and anti-infectives – peptide therapeutics mimic such functions.

Providing custom peptide-based products and services

Founded in 1999, Pepscan claims to deliver customer-centric peptide products and services by integrating smart science with manufacturing capabilities.

Pepscan has a team of chemists and biologists who, it claims, generate unconventional solutions. The company says, “We are able to offer goods and services that uphold quality standards and go above and beyond the expectations of our clients because of our distinctive, small-scale, and lean pharmaceutical-standard procedures.”

At the company’s facility in Lelystad, The Netherlands, it offers a range of patented technologies, phage display capabilities, a lead-optimisation array platform, and production facilities for R&D- to GMP-grade peptides, including libraries and neoantigen vaccines. Among its patents is the CLIPS technology, which locks peptides into active conformations.

With its peptide-based epitope mapping service platform, Pepscan also supports biotech companies in developing their antibody pipelines. The underlying protein mimicry platform delivers binding insights, even in cases where other technologies fall short.

CEO of Pepscan Hans de Backer says, “This is a fantastic time to be joining Biosynth and expanding their platform in peptides. Pepscan has just celebrated 25 years of our leading role at the forefront of peptide developments. We are excited to look to the future with Biosynth’s global footprint enabling us to serve more customers. The entire Biosynth peptide operation can deliver a more extensive set of products & services to global customers across research, development and commercial supply.”

How will Pepscan help Biosynth Carbosynth?

Biosynth’s ability to deliver chemical manufacturing services “from the first idea to the finished product” is now matched in peptides, with Pepscan’s expertise in both lead discovery & optimisation and GMP production, combining with the capabilities of Vivitide, the US peptide specialists, which joined Biosynth in March.

With this acquisition, the two businesses will combine to create Biosynth’s new Peptide division, which will serve the academic community as well as the pharmaceutical and biotechnology, diagnostics and cosmetics sectors.

Dr Urs Spitz, CEO and President of Biosynth, says, “We are thrilled to be able to bring Pepscan’s outstanding peptide expertise into the group and form our new, global Peptide division. This allows us to continue to simplify the supply chains for our customers across life sciences, pharma and diagnostics, so they deal with one organisation for all of their needs. Pepscan is known for their scientific knowledge and expertise and has a complementary set of manufacturing to those we have already, including GMP capabilities, so it was a perfect fit.”

Everything about Biosynth Carbosynth

Founded in 1966 by Hans Spitz, Biosynth is a life sciences reagents, custom synthesis and manufacturing services company. It manufactures and sources a range of chemical and biochemical products, and claims to deliver products that others cannot.

The company has expertise in enzyme substrates, carbohydrate and nucleoside chemistry, as well as custom peptide synthesis and antibody production. It offers a range of products and services to support life science research and development, with more than half a million products and hundreds of complex manufacturing service projects.

Biosynth has facilities across three continents and a global distribution network. The main manufacturing laboratories are in Switzerland, the UK, Slovakia and China, with peptide and antibody production facilities in the US.

In 2022, Biosynth also acquired Aalto Bio Reagents, expanding the range of biological products and key raw materials for clinical diagnostics, including antigens and antibodies. Biosynth Carbosynth is owned by KKR, Ampersand and senior management.