ProBioGen has signed a Master Service Agreement with Zag Bio to advance the biotech company’s lead Type 1 diabetes therapy into the clinic, marking a key step toward human trials planned for the second half of 2026.
Under the agreement, ProBioGen will deliver an integrated package covering cell line development, process development, and GMP manufacturing for Zag Bio’s lead candidate, ZAG-101. The thymus-targeted therapy is designed to induce central immune tolerance, a novel approach aimed at preventing or delaying Type 1 diabetes.
The work will leverage ProBioGen’s CHO.RiGHT expression platform, powered by its proprietary DirectedLuck transposase technology, alongside PsiBot smart automation. Together, the technologies are intended to rapidly generate high-performing, robust cell lines while supporting scalable, high-yield manufacturing that meets regulatory and quality requirements.
To compress timelines while managing risk, the program will evaluate multiple candidate constructs in parallel, enabling data-driven selection of the optimal clinical candidate without slowing development.
"This agreement is more than a contractual milestone. It marks the beginning of a collaborative effort to bring Zag Bio’s highly innovative thymus-targeted bifunctional antibody program to life," said Dr. Alfred Merz, Chief Executive Officer at ProBioGen.
"Our integrated platform combines cutting-edge technologies, harmonized automated workflows, and cross-functional expertise, across development and manufacturing, to accelerate our partner's biologics programs with precision and flexibility."
Zag Bio said ProBioGen’s technical depth and collaborative model were decisive factors in the partnership.
"We chose ProBioGen not just for their scientific excellence, but for their reputation as a truly collaborative and flexible partner", added Jason Cole, Chief Executive Officer, at Zag Bio.
"They impressed us with their deep understanding and integrated capabilities in Fc-fusion protein development, which will enable the manufacturing and clinical development of our lead ZAG-101 molecule, to potentially deliver transformative impact to patients with Type 1 diabetes and over time, additional autoimmune diseases."
The MSA aligns ProBioGen’s development and manufacturing capabilities with Zag Bio’s thymus-targeted platform, creating a streamlined path toward next-generation antibody-based therapies for autoimmune diseases.
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