Maxygen

Maxygen is a contract research organization specializing in directed evolution and molecular breeding services for protein engineering. The company provides custom and collaborative R&D outsourcing, working with clients to create and identify protein variants that exhibit desired traits or function optimally in process-relevant conditions. Their technical approach utilizes recombinant DNA libraries created through molecular breeding, which leverages phylogenetic homologs to generate high-quality functional diversity. This process is followed by tiered screening and assay development to identify variants that meet specific performance goals.

By offering these services on a fee-for-service basis, Maxygen partners with clients in the biotechnology industry to solve protein engineering bottlenecks. The company’s expertise encompasses library design, assay development, and optimized molecular biology protocols, enabling them to assist in projects ranging from simple combinatorial library generation to full-scale discovery programs. Clients retain full ownership of the final variants identified during the research process, which is managed through tailored statements of work that define project goals, milestones, and deliverables. The current organization serves as a successor to the original Maxygen Inc., which pioneered molecular breeding technologies before its dissolution in 2013.