Key Takeaways
- Demeetra AgBio has completed and fully integrated its acquisition of Hera BioLabs as of June 1.
- The transaction consolidates commercial access to the hyperactive Super piggyBac® transposase platform under Demeetra.
- Demeetra is now the definitive commercial source for Super piggyBac licensing across multiple fields of use.
- The integration simplifies licensing pathways and improves freedom to operate for developers and researchers.
- Super piggyBac supports non-viral genome engineering across cell and gene therapy, research tools, and biomanufacturing.
Demeetra AgBio Finalizes Hera BioLabs Acquisition
Demeetra AgBio, a genome engineering company focused on enabling research and biomanufacturing through advanced gene-editing technologies and engineered CHO host cells, has announced the completion and full integration of its acquisition of Hera BioLabs. The transaction, completed on June 1, consolidates rights to the hyperactive Super piggyBac® transposase platform under Demeetra, establishing the company as the central commercial source for licensing and access.
According to Demeetra, the integration brings clarity to the intellectual property landscape surrounding Super piggyBac, addressing longstanding uncertainty related to licensing, downstream rights, and freedom-to-operate considerations.
Consolidating Access to the Super piggyBac Platform
Licensing Clarity and Performance Attributes
Super piggyBac is a proprietary, non-viral transposase platform developed through protein engineering and protected by U.S. and international patents and trademarks. The platform offers higher integration efficiency and increased transgene copy number compared with wild-type piggyBac, while maintaining large cargo capacity and a favorable genomic integration profile.
In direct comparisons, Super piggyBac demonstrates performance comparable to hyPBase, another hyperactive piggyBac derivative, while relying on intellectual property now fully controlled by Demeetra.
“Following the acquisition of Hera BioLabs, Demeetra is now the definitive source for hyperactive Super piggyBac licensing,” said Jack Crawford, CEO of Demeetra. He noted that a clearly defined IP foundation enables researchers and developers to proceed with confidence.
Supporting Broad Commercial and Research Applications
Demeetra stated that it will offer Super piggyBac licenses through multiple access models tailored to customer needs. These include applications in cell and gene therapy research and development, large-scale screening and model generation, and commercial research tools and diagnostics.
The consolidation is intended to remove barriers that have historically slowed adoption of transposase-based systems in regulated and commercial environments.
Integration of Services and Platform Development
As part of the acquisition, Demeetra has integrated Hera BioLabs’ in vitro services into its internal R&D operations. These capabilities will support development of the company’s next-generation CleanCut CHO Platform engineered host cells for commercial bioprocessing.
Hera BioLabs’ in vivo services group has been wound down as Demeetra narrows its focus on scalable platform development and licensing. All future commercial activity related to Super piggyBac will be managed directly by Demeetra.
The company stated that Super piggyBac has been validated across multiple mammalian systems, including primary cells relevant to cell and gene therapy research, positioning it as a non-viral alternative for genome engineering.
