Goettingen | Leipzig, Germany, May 3, 2012 - Sartorius Stedim Biotech, a leading international pharma and biotech supplier, and the biotechnology specialist c LEcta, announce the signing of a worldwide sales and distribution agreement for c LEcta's proprietary Serratia marcescens nuclease for biopharmaceutical applications. The German company specializes in the development of customized enzymes and production strains for industrial applications. Based on this agreement, customized endonuclease will now be available under the product name "Denarase" through all regular Sartorius Stedim Biotech sales channels.

Endonucleases are used in various biopharmaceutical production processes, such as in recombinant protein production, to remove nucleic acids, reduce viscosity levels and thus optimize process efficiencies. The company c-LEcta has optimized the production process for Serratia marcescens nuclease using a genetically engineered Bacillus strain to increase enzyme activity yields and remove endotoxins. As a result, this new technology enables the highest purity and quality nuclease to be produced.

"This endonuclease provides outstanding advantages from which our customers will benefit directly, such as cost efficiency and high performance," says Dr. Uwe Gottschalk, Vice President of Purification Technologies at Sartorius Stedim Biotech. "The nuclease is a perfect addition to our current purification product portfolio and supports our strategy as a total solution provider for the biopharmaceutical industry."

Dr. Marc Struhalla, Managing Director of c-LEcta comments, "The technology developed by c-LEcta allows us to provide nuclease to our customers in the highest quality. We are convinced that with Sartorius Stedim Biotech, we have found the right sales and distribution partner for the successful worldwide commercialization of our product."

c-LEcta is a German biotechnology company specializing in the development of customized enzymes and production strains for industrial applications. Patented technologies are employed for discovery and optimization of tailor-made enzymes and microbial strains. c-LEcta's know-how in microbiology and strain engineering allows efficient development of production strains for protein and small-molecule products. Proprietary technologies are used for the identification of new enzymes from biodiversity and for effective enzyme engineering.