Matica Biotechnology, the U.S. subsidiary of CHA Biotech (085660), is partnering with Bondwell Technologies to optimize production processes for next-generation protein materials. The agreement marks Matica Bio’s first move to extend process-development capabilities built in cell and gene therapy (CGT) into recombinant proteins, with the aim of accelerating Bondwell’s path to commercial production. Bondwell’s proprietary biomaterials platform uses the natural binding and self-assembly properties of proteins and is intended for applications spanning pharmaceuticals, environmental uses and energy. Matica Bio plans to use the collaboration as a foothold for winning early-stage process-development work from biotech companies and research institutions in Texas, with the longer-term goal of converting those relationships into CDMO contracts as projects advance toward clinical or commercial manufacturing. The expansion also diversifies a business exposed to order volatility from the clinical progress of individual CGT programs. Matica Bio is based in College Station, Texas, a biotech and research hub centered around Texas A&M University, and completed a dedicated CGT CDMO facility there in 2022.