The XS® Pichia & E.coli Expression Systems
The XS Technologies® microbial platform contains the microbial expression systems for today’s therapeutics. With good yields, they merge simplicity and scalability. The XS Technologies® platform can help accommodate industry trends, eliminate production bottlenecks, align downstream processing and drive breakthroughs into the clinic.
XS® Pichia Expression System
Lonza’s XS® Pichia platform is best in class for complex, non-glycosylated protein production using a Pichia pastoris expression system. Its features include:
- Bacteria-like short fermentation time
- Simple and fast strain development
- Methanol-free fermentation
- No viral clearance required
- Highly pure product
- Protein secretion
- No endotoxin
XS® E.coli Expression System
E.coli is one of the most trusted and established organisms for the expression of simple to moderately complex biologics. The features of our E.coli expression system include:
- Reduced requirement for antibiotics
- Robust and scalable upstream processes
- Tunable expression to simplify downstream processing
- High titers
- Baseline expression does not need to repressed
Pichia bridges the gap between bacterial and mammalian expression systems
The Pichia pastoris expression system is a versatile expression system that combines the advantages of other commonly used platforms. Like E.coli, Pichia strains are simple, fast to develop and achieve high yields in reasonable fermentation times with no need for viral clearance. Pichia is free of endotoxin and secretes a pure, high-quality product, eliminating the need to lyse cells.
Our glucose-inducible and methanol-free XS® Pichia system is designed to reduce host cell impurities, while folding and assembling more complex proteins to secrete them into the supernatant. Features of this system facilitate ready scalability and simpler downstream processing.
XS® E.coli enables optimized expression of simple to moderately complex proteins using an E.coli Expression System. Its robust processes help improve productivity and overall speed to market for your biologic.
The XS® E.coli Expression System includes multiple hosts, several signal sequences and three novel induction systems.
Key benefits of these induction systems include:
- Reduced requirement for antibiotics
- Robust and scalable upstream processes
- Tunable expression to simplify downstream processing
- High titers
- Baseline expression does not need to be repressed
Combine three alternative promoter systems with other elements to optimize the expression of your biologics and increase your success rates.
One toolbox of expression system components enables you to screen and make impactful choices.
Diversity of biotherapeutics requires a toolbox approach for expression options. The XS Technologies® platform, (including the XS® Pichia and E.coli Expression Systems) is an extensive expression toolbox. Under license, you can use this platform in your lab and access Lonza’s support where you need it the most. It is the same highly productive and scalable platform we use for our in-house services - so you can be confident in its ability.
Host-screening and support from our technical team will help you choose which system would work best for your molecule.
Learn more about Microbial Strain Development or contact our experts
Services enabled by this technology
Strain development and cell banking
Benefit from more than 30 years of innovation in microbial biotechnology and get access to our toolbox of strain design options which provide the greatest probability of delivering a commercially viable strain that meets product quality targets and titers suitable for future market demand.
Ask the Experts in Expression
A microbial expression system uses microorganisms such as Pichia pastoris or E. coli to produce recombinant proteins efficiently and at scale. These systems are widely used because they offer fast strain development, high productivity and cost effective manufacturing, making them ideal for early stage and commercial biologics programs.
The XS Technologies® platform combines the XS® Pichia and XS® E. coli expression systems into a single, flexible microbial expression system. It provides multiple hosts, promoters, helper factors, signal sequences, and optimized feed regimes, enabling developers to screen options and select the most productive and scalable system for their molecule.
A Pichia pastoris expression system is ideal for producing complex, nonglycosylated proteins that benefit from secretion, high purity, and endotoxin free processing. The XS® Pichia system offers methanol free fermentation, short development timelines and mammalian like product quality, making it a strong choice when both yield and purity are critical.
An E. coli expression system is well suited for simple to moderately complex proteins that require rapid, high titer production, comparatively to other microbial systems. The XS® E. coli platform provides tunable expression, reduced antibiotic requirements, robust upstream processes, and simplified downstream workflows, enabling fast and scalable protein manufacturing.
Choosing between the either microbial expression system depends on your molecule’s complexity, secretion needs, and downstream processing requirements. The XS® Pichia system is preferred for secreted, endotoxin free, higher purity proteins, while the XS® E. coli system is ideal for rapid, high yield production of simpler proteins. Lonza’s host screening tools help identify the best fit for your project.
Yes. The XS® Pichia and the XS® E. coli systems within XS Technologies® are designed for seamless scalability. The same microbial expression system components used in Lonza’s inhouse services are available under license, ensuring a smooth transition from early development to GMP production.
Lonza offers host screening, strain design guidance, process development expertise, and access to proprietary promoters, helper factors, and signal sequences. This ensures that each microbial expression system, whether Pichia pastoris or E. coli, is optimized for productivity, product quality, and long term commercial viability.
Our locations
Our R&D Center of Excellence
Visp, Switzerland
Founded in 1897, Lonza today is a dedicated strategic manufacturing partner to the healthcare industry, working with customers in the pharma, biotech and nutrition markets. Visp remains our largest site in a global network of more than 30 sites and one of the most significant for research and development, development and manufacturing.
Our Visp site is a complex of industry-leading facilities specializing in the development and manufacture of products for pharmaceutical applications including mammalian and microbial biopharmaceuticals, small molecules, highly potent APIs, peptides and bioconjugates including antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). It is also home to our pioneering Ibex® Solutions services offering: Ibex® Solutions enables customers to accelerate their path throughout the complete biopharmaceutical lifecycle - from preclinical to commercial stages, from drug substance to drug product, all in one location.
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