ArcticZymes and Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology Extend Collaborative Research on use of Salt-Active Nucleases for Bionanoparticle Purification

28 May 2025 13:32 CEST

Tromsø, Norway, May 28th, 2025 - ArcticZymes Technologies ASA (OSE: AZT), in
collaboration with the Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology (acib), has
extended their joint research partnership for another three years, focusing on
delivering significantly enhanced purification methods for bionanoparticles
(BNPs), critical for safer, more effective gene therapies, vaccines, and cancer
treatments.

The ongoing phase of the project, which began in April 2024, demonstrated that
focusing on the removal of chromatin rather than accessible forms of DNA, is
essential for improved purification of bionanoparticles. This key insight,
gained through the collaboration with acib, revealed that ArcticZymes' M-SAN
enzyme is significantly more effective at digesting chromatin than conventional
nucleases. M-SAN also strongly performs under process-relevant, physiological
salt conditions, which is a big advantage when producing sensitive BNPs such as
lentiviral vectors. This advancement has enabled ArcticZymes to distinctly
differentiate its SAN portfolio from competition and highlight their unique
benefits to the bioprocessing community.

The extended collaboration will focus on proving the value of high-salt nuclease
treatments, leveraging the enzymes from ArcticZymes' SAN family. It will also
develop improved methods for detecting and quantifying chromatin DNA since
existing assays fail to do this accurately. These efforts aim to create more
efficient, scalable, and cost-effective purification strategies for BNP-based
therapeutics. The extended collaboration also underscores ArcticZymes' ongoing
commitment to innovation and practical solutions that meet customer needs.

This collaborative research continues to receive support from the COMET program,
which has awarded an additional EUR 100,000 to advance biotechnology innovation
through industry-academic partnerships. Moreover, the project includes the
training of a PhD candidate, contributing to the future talent pool and ensuring
continued advancement in bioprocessing technology and enzyme development.

Michael B. Akoh, CEO of ArcticZymes Technologies, commented:
"Collaborating with acib, one of the leading research groups in bioprocessing,
is instrumental in showing precisely how our nucleases best address customer
challenges. Together, we are enhancing biomanufacturing workflows for virus-like
particles, enabling our clients to optimize their processes, improve
efficiencies, and achieve more cost-effective and reliable outcomes."

Dr. Mathias Drexler, CEO of acib, added:
"The partnership allows us to bridge fundamental research with real-world
bioprocessing needs. Working with ArcticZymes gives us access to innovative
enzymatic tools that perform under real production conditions. Their technology
plays a key role in shaping more effective and scalable solutions for the
biomanufacturing industry. Together, we are advancing purification strategies
that are both, scientifically sound and industry-relevant."

For more information, please contact:

ArcticZymes Technologies ASA
CEO, Michael B. Akoh Tel: +46 (0) 70 262 37 15

  ir@arcticzymes.com

About ArcticZymes Technologies ASA

ArcticZymes Technologies is a Norwegian life sciences company focused on the
development, manufacturing and commercialization of novel recombinant enzymes
for use in molecular research, In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) and biomanufacturing.

Its headquarters are based in Tromsø, Norway, at the SIVA Science Park.
ArcticZymes Technologies' IP and capabilities are protected via a large
portfolio of patents.

For more information, please visit the website: www.arcticzymes.com

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647819_AZ_acib_extension_of_joint_collaboration.pdf