What is Hansenula polymorpha technology?

Crucell has developed the yeast Hansenula polymorpha into a proprietary expression platform. This technology enables the highly efficient production of recombinant proteins, which can be used for developing and manufacturing new medical products, including vaccines. Crucell’s innovative vaccine against hepatitis B, Hepavax-Gene®, is based on recombinant production in this yeast.

Key Strengths

Crucell’s Hansenular polymorpha technology has several key advantages over other yeast expression technologies.

• Hansenula polymorpha provides an expression system with superior characteristics for the synthesis of pharmaceutical compounds, including vaccines.
• Hansenula polymorpha provides a safe production platform lacking pyrogens, pathogens or viral inclusions.
• Hansenula polymorpha is easy to manipulate genetically and shows growth in industrial-scale fermentations.