Touchlight, a supplier of enzymatic DNA manufacture, has finished the renovation and extension of its UK manufacturing facility. Enzymatic DNA production is a key component in many emerging genetic medicine treatments.

Doggy bone DNA (dbDNA), a patented product of Touchlight, circumvents the technical difficulties involved in effectively mass-producing plasmid DNA. Through an enzymatic manufacturing process, the proprietary dbDNA technology creates a minimum, linear, double-stranded, covalently closed DNA vector. dbDNA is in an unrivaled position for the quick, synthetic, and scalable production of GMP DNA with little environmental impact.

Additionally, the method can accommodate sequences that are normally unstable as plasmid DNA in E. coli, like those present in viral vector and mRNA synthesis, and include genes from 500 bp to 20 kb.

Karen Fallen, Touchlight’s CEO said, “Doggybone DNA has many benefits over traditional DNA, offering an affordable and scalable alternative, as the biopharmaceutical industry continues to increase its investment in genetic medicine. The expansion of our facility announced today will help us further contribute to harnessing the huge potential of this new class of medicine, and we are excited to be working with some of the world’s most innovative companies as their manufacturing partner to do this.”

The company claims that the upgraded, cutting-edge facility's manufacturing capacity has tripled and can now produce more than 8kg annually. This is more than the present, expanding amount of plasmid DNA available globally for use in genetic medicine. This is more than the present, expanding amount of plasmid DNA available globally for use in genetic medicine.

The construction project has now been completed by following the US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) acceptance of a Drug Master File for GMP-grade dbDNA in December and a second FDA approval for the first investigational new drug application (IND) using dbDNA in an in-human trial planned by one of Touchlight's clients.