The Orfeus™ expression system
Orfeus™ is set to meet the unique requirements of different customers and different markets. Orfeus™ is based on using barley grain as a vehicle for high-throughput production of recombinant proteins, such as growth factors and cytokines. The system is equipped with inherent enabling features that make it unique among the bioreactor systems available for the production of recombinant, biorisk-free proteins.
Orfeus™ combines four distinct components:
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Barley endosperm cellular background
The host organism, barley, with its specialized endosperm storage tissue provides many unique features including proficient protein machinery, with eukaryotic folding, and a distinct route for long-term protein protection and storage. A biochemically inert environment, void of endotoxins, low protease activity and secondary metabolite content, and a simple protein profile, aid in downstream processing. Barley has also a G.R.A.S.(generally recognized as safe) status from FDA.
The ORF expression cassette regulates high, site- and time-specific, stable expression of the recombinant protein of interest. Built-in, high-throughput plug-and-play cloning of small to large-sized genes.
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HEKLAgro™ cultivation technology
The hydroponic conveyor belt and tracking cultivation technology is characterized by soil-free, environmentally safe Hekla pumis substrate and controlled zoning conditions for optimized expression, lower bio-burden and easier validation.
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Isogenic lines for seed banking
A barley haploid microspore culture technology is used to produce double haploid isogenic lines. The result is genome-wide homozygosity making seed-banking validation easier and securing the conformity of raw materials for safer pharmaceutical use. Isogenic lines are genome-wide homogenic/genetically identical lines that take the quality control in plant-based production of biologics to a new level of sophistication.