Demeetra Completes Acquisition of Hera BioLabs, Securing Expanded Rights to Hyperactive Super piggyBac® Transposase

LEXINGTON, Ky.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#Biomanufacturing—Demeetra AgBio, a genome engineering company enabling research and biomanufacturing through advanced gene-editing technologies and engineered CHO host cells, announced the completion and full integration of its acquisition of Hera BioLabs. The transaction, completed June 1, resulted in Demeetra now holding expanded rights to the hyperactive Super piggyBac® transposase platform and technologies, establishing Demeetra as the definitive commercial source for licensing and access across broad fields of use.

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 delivers higher integration efficiency and increased transgene copy number compared to wild-type piggyBac, while preserving piggyBac’s large cargo capacity and favorable integration profile. In direct performance comparisons, Super piggyBac demonstrates performance comparable to hyPBase, another hyperactive derivative with mutations that require access to Demeetra’s intellectual property.

“Following the acquisition of Hera BioLabs, Demeetra is now the definitive source for hyperactive Super piggyBac licensing, in drug discovery and development, and research tools and services,” said Jack Crawford, CEO of Demeetra. “This clarity matters. Researchers and product developers can act with confidence knowing they have a clean, well-defined IP foundation with expanded rights and long-term freedom to operate.”

For companies developing engineered cell lines, research tools, and commercial products, the consolidation removes uncertainty around licensing pathways, downstream rights, and freedom-to-operate issues that have historically slowed the adoption of transposase-based systems in regulated and commercial environments.

Demeetra will offer Super piggyBac licenses through multiple access models tailored to customer needs, including cell and gene therapy research and development, large-scale screening and model generation, and commercial research tools and diagnostic applications. This flexible licensing approach supports adoption across a broad range of use cases.

As part of the integration, Demeetra has incorporated Hera BioLabs’ in vitro services capabilities into its internal R&D operations to accelerate the development of next-generation CleanCut CHO Platform engineered host cells optimized for commercial bioprocessing. Hera BioLabs’ in vivo services group has been wound down as Demeetra sharpens its focus on scalable platform development and licensing. All future commercial activity related to Super piggyBac will be directed through Demeetra.

Super piggyBac has been validated across multiple mammalian systems, including primary cells relevant to cell and gene therapy research, where its high-efficiency, non-viral integration enables robust and uniform engineered cell populations. These attributes position the platform as a powerful alternative to viral delivery and lower-activity transposase systems.

Companies interested in evaluating or licensing Super piggyBac are encouraged to engage directly with Demeetra. Evaluation kits, licensing options, and technical resources are available through the company.

About Demeetra AgBio

Demeetra AgBio is a genome engineering company providing integrated platforms for gene editing, transposon-based integration, and cell line development. Demeetra’s technologies deliver high performance with clear intellectual property lineage, enabling confident adoption across research, development, and biomanufacturing workflows.

Learn more, visit www.demeetra.com.

Contacts

Jack Crawford, CEO Demeetra

Email: [email protected]
Phone: 315-351-9115