Beroni Group Signs Agreement with Genscript Biotech Corporation to Conduct Further Study to Develop Nanobody-based Medical Solution for COVID-19


NEW YORK and SYDNEY, Australia, Aug. 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Beroni Group (OTCQX: BNIGF; NSX: BTG) (“Beroni” or the “Company”), is pleased to announce that further to its announcement on August 4, 2020 regarding the development of a medical solution utilizing nanobody technology for COVID-19, it has just signed an agreement with GenScript Biotech Corporation (HKSE: 1548) (“Genscript”), a company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, to conduct antibody characterization and optimization through humanization and affinity maturation with the objective of increasing the antibody affinity to target the antigen by five to ten-fold.  

Genscript will render the services based on 3 phases: (1) Perform pseudovirus neutralization assay with candidate antibody (2) Production and characterization of humanized antibodies and (3) Using PML (Precise Mutagenesis Library) and FASEBA (Fast Screening for Expression, Biophysical-Properties and Affinity) to carry out affinity maturation and purification of the antibodies. The process is expected to take 15-18 weeks.

Nanobody-based technology will not only have the potential to rapidly deliver an effective and safe testing and treatment solution for COVID-19, but also provide an economic, scalable, high-yield and large-scale production capability. These are key benefits for addressing the current pandemic and potential global treatment issues.

Jacky Zhang, Chairman and CEO of Beroni Group, said, “We are pleased to be able to work with Genscript, one of the world’s largest molecular biology CDMO (Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization) companies, to use their leading CDMO platform to further advance our study into the use of nanobodies for treating COVID-19 patients. Nanobody, which has more natural advantages than traditional antibody, is more suitable as a neutralizing antibody to treat coronavirus patients. Nanobody treatment is fast emerging as an effective antibody drug in the market. We will do our utmost best to accelerate our clinical study so that we can produce a timely, safe and effective medical solution to help stop the global spread of this highly infectious disease.”

Brian Min, CEO of GenScript ProBio, said, “COVID-19 is still on the rise globally. During this period, we are pleased to collaborate with Beroni Group to use our CDMO platform to facilitate research on nanobodies for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. It is believed that with our joint efforts, this technology can appear in the market as soon as possible for the benefit of patients.”

About Beroni Group Limited

Beroni Group Limited is an international biopharmaceutical enterprise dedicated to the innovation and commercialization of drugs and therapies to combat various global diseases such as cancer and infectious diseases.  Its diversified portfolio is comprised of a US FDA approved virus diagnostic kit, an e-commerce platform for the sale of pharmaceutical products and a development pipeline targeting oncology and cell therapies.  Beroni has operations in Australia, United States, China and Japan.  To learn more about Beroni, please visit www.beronigroup.com.

About Genscript Biotech Corporation

Genscript Biotech Corporation, a global biotech company, is a leading life sciences research and application service provider that applies its proprietary technology to various fields from basic life sciences research to translational biomedical development, industrial synthetic products, and cell therapeutic solutions. It has business operations in over 100 countries worldwide with legal entities located in the United States, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Netherlands and Ireland.  The company’s mission is to “Make the Human and Nature Healthier through Biotechnology”.

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This press release contains forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, within the meaning of applicable United States and Australian securities laws with respect to the Company. By their nature, forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results suggested by the forward-looking statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Generally forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of terminology such as “anticipate”, “will”, “expect”, “may”, “continue”, “could”, “estimate”, “forecast”, “plan”, “intend”, “believe”, “potential” and similar expressions.

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For more information, please contact:

Phone: +61 2 8051 3055
Email: enquiry@beronigroup.com
Website: www.beronigroup.com