Ziccum AB has significantly expanded its lab facilities and capabilities, particularly in the area of mRNA/LNP. Strategic investments include a new cell lab and a system for manufacturing and evaluating dry formulations of mRNA/LNP materials. Chairman Fredrik Sjövall: “This will make us more independent in pursuing our own mRNA studies and intellectual property, and it will enlarge the range of data we can deliver to the industry.”
In April 2022 Ziccum AB expanded into larger office and lab facilities at its base in Lund. The expansion includes the recruitment of a new Project Manager and two new Development Engineers, and key investments focused around mRNA/LNP – one of the three key vaccine platforms Ziccum is now targeting as part of its more focused strategy on projects and platforms.
Strengthening Ziccum’s inhouse mRNA/LNP capabilities
As Ziccum stated in its 3 March 2022 update, generating data on dry-formulated mRNA/LNP materials is a key strategic priority for the company. Covid-19 has highlighted the efficacy and high potential of mRNA/LNP as a vaccine platform enormously and both research and demand in the field is intensive.
In December 2021 Ziccum installed a microfluidics system, ‘Ignite’ NanoAssemblr, that will enable the company to generate its own mRNA/LNP materials at R&D scale. The Ignite system is now fully installed and operational.
In parallel, a new cell lab that enables in vitro studies of key biological properties is being set up. As well as offering specific advantages in the current development of mRNA/LNP, in the longer term the new cell lab also gives Ziccum the possibility of generating relevant biological data on other platforms and substances in future programs. Work on the new cell lab began in December 2021 and it is now being installed in full in the company’s new premises. It is estimated that the new cell lab will be fully operational in Q2 2022, generating its first data in Q3 2022.
Chairman Fredrik Sjövall: “These strategic investments will make us more independent and competitive in the high-potential field of mRNA/LNP. They will enable us to pursue our own mRNA/LNP studies and they will strengthen our proprietary offerings around mRNA/LNP – serving as a robust platform for creating new patents in this exciting area.”