Prolific Machines Appoints Former Catalent Chief Scientific Officer to Board of Directors

Expert appointment further accelerates Prolific’s ability to deliver impactful protein production solutions as it prepares to expand its light-controlled bioproduction offerings

EMERYVILLE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Prolific Machines, the Photomolecular platform leader, today announced the appointment of Julien Meissonnier, former Chief Scientific Officer of Catalent, to its Board as an Independent Director. Meissonnier will leverage his more than 26 years of deep pharmaceutical and life science services expertise to help leading life science innovators leverage Prolific Machines’ platform and its expertise.

Prolific Machines is leveraging advanced optogenetic technology and artificial intelligence to revolutionize protein production and offer precise, efficient, and scalable solutions for biopharmaceutical manufacturing. The Bay Area company’s Photomolecular platform provides direct and dynamic control over any cellular function, in any cell type, to solve biopharma’s most complex protein and viral vector manufacturing challenges, maximize titer and provide more consistent quality for biotherapies. Prolific recently completed the world’s largest demonstration of optogenetics at 200L scale.

“We are well positioned to deliver impactful solutions to both early-stage biotechs and Big Pharma. Julien’s pharma services experience will further accelerate our ability to do this,” said Deniz Kent, Ph.D., Prolific Machines’ Co-Founder and CEO. “I’m particularly excited about using light-based control to manufacture difficult-to-produce biotherapeutics, and I would encourage asset owners with this problem to reach out to us.”

Meissonnier brings nearly three decades of leadership in biopharmaceuticals and life science services to Prolific Machines’ Board. Most recently, he served as CSO of Catalent, a leading contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), where he was responsible for global product development and was a lead contributor to the company’s strategic investment in and growth of services for new therapeutic modalities. Through offering novel and targeted development excellence, and drug delivery and manufacturing solutions to accelerate life science innovations, Meissonnier was instrumental in establishing Catalent as one of the largest, most impactful, and fastest-growing pharma services organizations. He is currently an independent advisor to life science investors and innovators.

“Having helped build and scale Catalent’s CDMO services and capabilities over two decades, I am excited to support Prolific in leveraging its groundbreaking technology to enable some of the most complex yet promising biotherapeutics in today’s development pipeline and ultimately, help them reach clinic,” said Meissonnier. “With the right strategy, investment, innovation, and partnership culture, Prolific stands to be a leading accelerator of biopharma innovation and I look forward to working with the Board, Deniz and the Prolific team to make this happen.”

About Prolific Machines

Prolific Machines is redefining biologics manufacturing, offering solutions from benchtop to pre-clinical scale. Founded in 2020, the Bay Area company’s pioneering Photomolecular platform brings together advanced optogenetic tools and proprietary closed-loop control capabilities to solve major protein production challenges for early-stage biotechnology and leading pharmaceutical partners. The company is on a mission to create a healthier, more sustainable tomorrow and is supported by leading investors, including Ki Tua Fund, the corporate venture arm of the Fonterra Co-operative Group; Breakthrough Energy Ventures; Mayfield; SOSV; In-Q-Tel; and others. To learn more, visit prolific-machines.com.

And to qualify for a risk-free manufacturability assessment, or to become a research partner, contact [e-mail].