Lonza and CN Bio Announce Distribution Agreement Providing Prevalidated Hepatocytes for Use on Innovative Organ-on-a-chip Range

• Through a new distribution agreement, Lonza will supply a selection of cells to be prequalified for use in CN Bio’s innovative PhysioMimix^TM Organ-On-a-Chip (OOC) range of Single- and Multi-organ Microphysiological Systems (MPS)
• The companies share a common goal of developing and supplying advanced cell models that better reflect an in vivo environment to improve drug discovery accuracy and efficiency
• The provision of high-quality cells that are known to grow successfully in 3D culture will help fast track OOC adoption and customer research

Basel, Switzerland, 19 July 2021 – Lonza and CN Bio have entered into a distribution agreement whereby Lonza will supply a selection of hepatic cells to be prequalified by CN Bio for use in their PhysioMimix^TM Single-and Multi-Organ MPS to transform the way human-relevant pre-clinical data is generated. With prequalified cells, customers can avoid having to trial numerous cell types in order to be assured of finding ones that will grow and behave functionally in 3D culture and fast-track their route to generating reliable and robust data.

The use of physiologically relevant in vitro models plays an important role in driving down attrition rates and boosting the efficiency and success of drug discovery programs. It is increasingly clear that standard 2D cell culture fails to accurately reflect the complex interactions that take place in the living body, while animal models are slow, expensive and don’t always correlate to the same interactions in humans. Innovative models, such as OOC, offer the way forward and this agreement is a critical step in realizing that vision to bring more physiologically relevant models to the industry.

Maureen Bunger, Senior Product Manager, ADME-Tox Solutions, Lonza Cell and Gene, commented: “Today’s drug discovery success is hugely dependent on performing experiments using the right biological model to best reflect in vivo environments. This new agreement with CN Bio further demonstrates Lonza’s commitment to supporting innovation and to the development of the most advanced cell models for enhanced drug discovery and development success.”

The PhysioMimix^TM Single and Multi-Organ MPS allow researchers to recreate an environment that more accurately represents the human body in the laboratory to generate translationally relevant pre-clinical data. Until now, the widespread adoption of OOC technologies has been hampered by a lack of quality control and performance criteria for consistent use of the devices and reproducibility of results between experimental sites. These have posed significant limitations for translational experiments using OOC technology in contexts of use in drug development. To address this, the FDA has worked with CN Bio to demonstrate the robustness and reliability of their technology for drug metabolism and safety toxicity applications.

Dr. Tomasz Kostrzewski, Director of Biology, CN Bio, commented: “We’re delighted to be working with Lonza, a world-leading cell supplier, to ensure that the prevalidated cells we supply for use with our PhysioMimix^TM Single-and Multi-Organ MPS are of reliably high quality and are well-suited to culture in 3D. Using prequalified cells will save our customers valuable time and resource, further helping to accelerate their drug development journey.”

Lonza hepatocyte cells meet the high standard of quality required by organ-on-a-chip systems. With a robust manufacturing process and excellent quality control, state-of-the-art facilities and Lonza’s decades of specialist experience and deep expertise, Lonza cells offer a greater chance of reproducible success. Access to a wide variety of large-sized lots gives customers confidence in ongoing cell availability.

For more information about Lonza cells prequalified for use on the PhysioMimix^TM Single-and Multi-Organ MPS, visit https://cn-bio.com/3d-validated-cells/

About Lonza

Lonza is the preferred global partner to the pharmaceutical, biotech and nutrition markets. We work to prevent illness and enable a healthier world by supporting our customers to deliver new and innovative medicines that help treat a wide range of diseases. We achieve this by combining technological insight with world-class manufacturing, scientific expertise and process excellence. These enable our customers to commercialize their discoveries and innovations in the healthcare sector.

Founded in 1897 in the Swiss Alps, today Lonza operates across five continents. With approximately 14,000 full-time employees, we are built from high-performing teams and of individual talent who make a meaningful difference to our own business, as well as to the communities in which we operate. The company generated sales of CHF 4.5 billion in 2020 with a CORE EBITDA of CHF 1.4 billion. Find out more at www.lonza.com.

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About CN Bio

CN Bio is a leading bioengineering company specialising in single and multi-organ MPS and innovative lab technologies. We aim to provide systems that generate clinically translatable data that can enhance the development of tomorrow’s medicines.

CN Bio supports researchers who require data-rich, human-relevant in vitro studies for the analysis of novel compounds, and assessment of toxicity and safety, in addition to supporting investigation into a broad range of biological processes across different organ cell-types, in application areas including ADME and toxicology, disease modelling, drug discovery, drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics, and drug repurposing. CN Bio’s headquarters and laboratories are based in Cambridge, UK, with an international network of distributors. Find out more at www.cn-bio.com

Additional Information and Disclaimer

Lonza Group Ltd has its headquarters in Basel, Switzerland, and is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange. It has a secondary listing on the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited (“SGX-ST”). Lonza Group Ltd is not subject to the SGX-ST’s continuing listing requirements but remains subject to Rules 217 and 751 of the SGX-ST Listing Manual.

Certain matters discussed in this news release may constitute forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations and estimates of Lonza Group Ltd, although Lonza Group Ltd can give no assurance that these expectations and estimates will be achieved. Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainty and are qualified in their entirety. The actual results may differ materially in the future from the forward-looking statements included in this news release due to various factors. Furthermore, except as otherwise required by law, Lonza Group Ltd disclaims any intention or obligation to update the statements contained in this news release.