Arranta Bio Acquires Captozyme to Establish a Center of Excellence for Microbiome Development and Clinical Supply

On November 19, 2019, VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) learned via Business Wire that contract development and manufacturing organization Arranta Bio (Arranta) announced the acquisition of biotechnology company Captozyme. Specific financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Captozyme, established in 2009 and headquartered in Florida, USA, is a biotechnology company. The company primarily develops health and therapeutic products based on microbes and proteases to help people better manage their diets, thereby improving their health.

Since its inception, Captozyme has been dedicated to the development of microbial products and processing technologies. The team has developed unique manufacturing processes applicable to microbiomes comprising 125 different species and 80 different genera. In 2018, Captozyme established a GMP-certified production facility and expanded its production capacity. Meanwhile, the team has also achieved significant advancements in the processing, scale-up, and encapsulation of microbial products.

Arranta, founded in 2019 and headquartered in Seattle, USA, is a Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO). The company is dedicated to researching innovative therapies for human microbiome-related diseases and provides contract development and manufacturing services to innovators in this field. Arranta specializes in bacterial fermentation, isolation, drying, and encapsulation, supplying Live Biotherapeutic Products (LBPs) to developers of microbiome-related products.

In November 2019, Arranta completed an $82 million new round of financing led by Ampersand Capital Partners, along with founders and employees of Arranta Bio. Additionally, Arranta established a strategic partnership with the scientific services company Thermo Fisher Scientific. In recent years, scientific understanding of the composition and function of the gut microbiota has deepened further, and Arranta aims to become a leading contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) in this field to meet market demand.

Following the completion of this acquisition, Captozyme’s enzyme-based drug development division will be spun off into a new biopharmaceutical company, Oxidien Pharmaceuticals. Led by Dr. Helena Cowley, former CEO of Captozyme, the new entity will continue to advance clinical research and development of its drug candidates.

Millions of bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and viruses reside within the human body, a collection scientists refer to as the "second genome." In fact, the human microbiome contains 200 times more genes than the human genome. Currently, nearly 200 companies are actively exploring the links between diseases and the microbiome to identify therapeutic targets.

Dr. Aaron Cowley, Founder of Captozyme and Chief Technology Officer of Arranta Bio, stated, “Over the past decade, Captozyme has evolved into a leading organization dedicated to the diversified development and research of bacterial products. We are delighted to join the Arranta Bio team and contribute to its microbiome R&D business. We will continue to advance the clinical development and commercialization of microbial products, delivering innovative solutions and technologies to our clients.”

Mark Bamforth, Founder, President and CEO of Arranta Bio, stated, “We welcome Captozyme to the Arranta team to help us build an advanced microbiology R&D platform, and we believe that Arranta will emerge even stronger as a result.”

(Compiled by Xu Xiaoxue)