PEI's Pegasus Biotech Helping Clients Bring Innovative Technologies to Market

PEi’s Pegasus Biotech Helping Clients Bring Innovative Technologies To Market

CHARLOTTETOWN BASED PEGASUS BIOTECH INC. HAS RAPIDLY EARNED A STELLAR REPUTATION FOR ITS WORK SUPPORTING CLIENTS IN THE HUMAN AND ANIMAL HEALTH INDUSTRIES.

Pegasus, a contract research organization founded in 2019 by Dr. Yimy Mena, chief executive officer and director of process development, Daniel Wilson, director of operations, and Jonathan Wilts, chief financial officer and director of analytical development, provides its extensive experience to clients at various stages of development of biologic and vaccine products.

The company provides consulting and laboratory services in three key areas - process development of biologics, analytical development, and conventional and DNA vaccine development.

With respect to process development, “we perform and optimize animal cell culture, bacterial culture, and manufacture of plasmid DNA vaccines, and also generate and characterize master cell and master seed banks to regulatory requirements. We also produce and prepare clinical material for veterinary product animal field trials, and in the human health industry for pre-clinical trials,” explains Dr. Mena.

“Initially we conceptualize the complete manufacturing process, including analytical testing, using a regulatory mindset. Then we optimize the manufacturing processes to improve product yields and achieve the quality requirements required by regulatory agencies and our client,” he elaborates.

Analytical development services offered at Pegasus include liquid chromatography (HPLC) assays for biologics quantification and qualification, immunoassays such as ELISA, cell-based assays, reagent generation, and molecular biology assays such as QPCR.

“We can assist with any analytical method that is typically used for vaccine or bio-pharma product development,” says Wilts.

The company’s co-founders have the distinction of having been technical leaders in the development (CMC section) of the first DNA vaccine ever approved in Europe by the European Medicines Agency. “We have first-hand experience and the tools required to be successful in a regulatory submission for the commercialization of a DNA vaccine,” says Dr. Mena.

“That is the added value we bring to the table,” he explains.

Pegasus’ clients include large pharma companies that are operating at capacity and need extra help from seasoned scientists to substantially reduce their time of development, as well as small start-ups that do not have access to highly skilled expertise in the development of biologics, explains Dr. Mena.

When Pegasus was established, its clients were mainly based in North America. But the COVID-19 pandemic, which struck shortly after the company began operations, created a demand for the development of DNA vaccine technologies across the globe. As a result, Pegasus now also has clients in Asia, South America, Europe, the United Kingdom, and in the Middle East.

“We are a global company after only three years,” says Dr. Mena.

Pegasus won the 2023 Emerging Business Excellence Award from the Charlottetown Chamber of Commerce.

“It’s really nice to be honoured in that way – to be recognized as a company that’s making progress, making some waves, and doing the right things,” says Wilts, who notes that over the past two years revenues have grown ten-fold.

Pegasus currently has nine employees and three laboratories, two of which are located in the University of Prince Edward Island in Charlottetown, with a third in Victoria, P.E.I.