Pfenex Expression Technology®: Scalable, High-Yield Protein Expression

About Pseudomonas fluorescens

A naturally occurring, Gram-negative obligate aerobe, our P. fluorescens was first isolated from a lettuce leaf in San Diego County, California. Initially developed by The Dow Chemical Company with the intent of being a robust, scalable, and cost-effective expression technology from the start, Primrose’s P. fluorescens-based Pfenex platform is unmatched in recombinant protein production:

• 100% compatible with existing microbial know-how, production systems, and infrastructure.
• Used for producing industrial products and human therapeutics since the 1990s.
• A 40% larger genome compared to E. coli provides for greater metabolic diversity and control.
• Cultivates with simple, chemically defined and animal origin-free media. No antibiotics are required for plasmid maintenance.

We leverage the benefits of P. fluorescens to optimize protein expression, from initial DNA transcription through final protein folding and secretion.

Pfenex Expression Technology Advantages

Unmatched Versatility and Performance:

The Pfenex platform combines decades of development with commercial success in the production of complex, challenging proteins. Pfenex succeeds where E. coli and CHO often fall short.

The Pfenex Toolbox

25+ years of engineering toolbox improvements, including highly efficient secretion leaders, plasmids, promoters, ribosome binding sites, and chaperones.

High throughput

Compatible with automated systems for rapid, efficient construction and screening of thousands of gene-vector-strain combinations at once.

High titers, high quality

Historically improves expression titer and quality with an ~80% success rate, notably with complex structures (e.g., disulfide bonds).

Scalable

Up to 180,000L achieved for industrial products; 5,000L for therapeutics.

Cost-effective

With titers exceeding 30g/L achieved combined with periplasmic release, cleaner downstream processing and higher purity enabled.

Versatile

Successfully produced over 200 lead candidates across multiple protein modalities: VHH, Fab, antibody derivatives, enzymes, cytokines, antigens, and peptides.

How it Works

Secretion Leaders

Library of efficient signal peptides have been codon optimized for P. fluorescens to improve yield, solubility, and folding.

Plasmids

Two stable, compatible plasmids are maintained with auxotrophic markers which eliminate the need for antibiotics. One plasmid encodes the gene of interest and the second may encode folding helper functions.

Ribosome Binding Sites

Optimized through sequence modification, spacing, and affinity to control translation rates.

Chaperone Proteins

Over 60 expression plasmids encoding helper proteins for folding and disulfide bond formation provide efficient transport to the periplasm for proper protein conformation.

Host-strain Protease Mutants

Vast library of strains to reduce proteolytic clipping through deletion or inactivation of native protease sequences.

Working with Primrose Bio

Our streamlined strain engineering process consistently delivers actionable results for the most challenging of proteins with rigorous quality standards.

Initial Consultation

Meet with our strain engineers to discuss your challenges, goals, and scientifically explore novel solutions.

Proposal Development

A workplan is developed leveraging the Pfenex toolbox in conjunction with state-of-the-art analytics.

Advanced Strain Engineering

We screen up to 1,000 combinations of host strains and expression tools, with candidates available in 4-6 weeks.

Primary Process Optimization

Through a systematic design of experiments (DOE) approach, we establish scalable, base line process parameters at 2L scale for maximum yield.

Cell Banking

A lead strain is banked and extensively tested, providing the foundation for future process development and GMP cell banks.

Licensing

Upon final quality verification, we license the strain to you under a variety of models. And yes, royalty-free options are available.

Pfast™ Feasibility with Pfenex

Accelerate Development with the Pfast Protein Feasibility Assessment

The Pfast™ Feasibility Program offers a rapid, cost-effective way to assess your molecule's compatibility with the Pfenex platform. Designed for early-stage evaluation, Pfast enables you to make data-driven decisions before committing to full-scale development.

1. Rapid Insights: Results delivered in just 10 days.

2. Cost-Effective: Starting at $25,000.

3. Comprehensive: Soluble/insoluble titer assessment with future recommendations.

Proven Success Across Global Markets

Serum Institute of India: Pneumosil® and Men-Five® use Pfenex-produced CRM197 as their carrier protein and have been administered to over 45 million children, worldwide.

Alvogen: Teriparatide Injection for the treatment of post-menopausal osteoporosis was the first approved drug produced using the Pfenex platform.

Merck & Co., Inc.: CRM197 produced via the Pfenex platform is used in two FDA and EMA approved pneumococcal vaccines, VAXNEUVANCE® and CAPVAXIVE®.

Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Rylaze® achieved FDA approval in under six years from initial DNA cloning, demonstrating Pfenex’s speed and efficiency.