Matica Bio partners with Bondwell Technologies to develop next-generation protein materials

Matica Biotechnology, the US subsidiary of Chabiotech, is expanding into new biotech materials by partnering with Texas-based Bondwell Technologies to provide process optimization services for next-generation protein material production.

Matica Bio said Monday it will draw on its process development capabilities in the cell and gene therapy field to accelerate the production timeline for protein biomaterials being developed by Bondwell and support their commercialization. The company expects the collaboration to extend its specialized technology and know-how — previously concentrated in the CGT space — into the recombinant protein sector.

Bondwell is a Texas-based biotech company developing next-generation protein technology for bioprocessing and advanced life sciences applications. The company has built a proprietary protein biomaterial platform that leverages the binding and self-assembly properties of proteins found in nature, and is pursuing projects to apply that platform across the pharmaceutical, environmental and energy industries.

Through the partnership, Matica Bio plans to significantly strengthen its network with research institutions and biotech companies in the Texas region. The company is based in College Station, Texas, an emerging biotech hub centered on Texas A&M University that is home to a concentration of leading research institutes and biotech ventures. Matica Bio said it will build a collaborative model providing close support to early-stage biotech companies that have yet to establish their own production lines — starting from the basic research phase — with the aim of boosting its competitiveness for contracts in the North American market.

Paul Kim, chief executive of Matica Bio, said the importance of close collaboration among companies in the region is growing as Texas rapidly emerges as a biotech innovation hub. "We will work with promising biotech companies in Texas to nurture innovative technologies and further strengthen the competitiveness of the regional biotech ecosystem," he said.

David Howell, chief executive of Bondwell, said many biotech companies look to contract development and manufacturing organizations in traditional biotech clusters such as Boston, San Diego and North Carolina. "By partnering with Matica Bio, which has outstanding development capabilities right here in Texas, we expect to significantly reduce both development time and costs," he said.

Matica Bio was established by Chabiotech to target the US CGT contract development and manufacturing market. In 2022, it became the first Korean company to complete a CGT CDMO production facility in College Station, Texas, and has been steadily expanding its global order book on the strength of its proprietary cell line MatiMax and its analytical and process development expertise.