Codexis Expands Reach of the ECO Synthesis® Manufacturing Platform through a Signed Evaluation Agreement with Axolabs for Oligonucleotide Therapeutics

Rhea-AI Summary

Codexis (NASDAQ: CDXS) and Axolabs announced an evaluation agreement dated January 7, 2026, under which Axolabs will test Codexis' ECO Synthesis Manufacturing Platform for enzymatic RNA/oligonucleotide production.

The agreement gives Axolabs access to Codexis' scalable enzymatic synthesis technology and may lead to future licensing discussions and broader platform adoption if evaluation results are favourable. Both companies described the collaboration as advancing efficient, sustainable manufacturing of oligonucleotide therapeutics and expanding access to high-quality oligonucleotide medicines.

Market Reality Check

$1.64 Last Close

Volume Volume 589,037 is 0.53x the 20-day average 1,107,981. low

Technical Price 1.72 trades below 200-day MA 2.38 and 68.76% under the 52-week high.

Peers on Argus

CDXS gained 5.52% while peers were mixed: VOR up 9.07%, PRQR up 2.46%, OABI up 0.55%, but SLN and ACIU down 3.05% and 2.83%, suggesting a stock-specific reaction.

Historical Context

Date	Event	Sentiment	Move	Catalyst
Nov 10	GMP facility lease	Positive	+3.5%	New 34,000 sq ft GMP facility to expand ECO Synthesis capacity.
Nov 06	Q3 2025 earnings	Negative	-5.3%	Lower revenue, sizable net loss and workforce reduction despite Merck agreement.
Oct 29	Platform evaluation deal	Positive	-6.6%	Nitto Denko Avecia to evaluate ECO Synthesis for therapeutic siRNA.
Oct 23	Earnings call notice	Neutral	+1.2%	Announcement of upcoming Q3 2025 results call and webcast details.
Aug 28	Conference participation	Neutral	+1.9%	Participation and fireside chat at Cantor Global Healthcare Conference.

Pattern Detected

Platform and partnership news has produced mixed reactions, while financial updates and strategic capacity moves have more often seen aligned price responses.

Recent Company History

Over the last six months, Codexis highlighted its ECO Synthesis® platform and manufacturing expansion. A Nov 10, 2025 lease for a 34,000 sq ft GMP facility to support siRNA and oligonucleotide production saw shares rise. An ECO Synthesis evaluation agreement with Nitto Denko Avecia on Oct 29, 2025 drew a negative move, indicating prior partnership news did not always lift the stock. Q3 2025 results on Nov 6 combined revenue declines and restructuring with a Merck supply agreement and extended cash runway.

Market Pulse Summary

This announcement expands the ECO Synthesis® Manufacturing Platform’s reach via an Axolabs evaluation agreement focused on RNA and oligonucleotide therapeutics. It follows earlier moves like the planned GMP facility and a prior evaluation deal, underscoring Codexis’s partnering-led strategy. Investors may monitor how evaluations convert into licenses, utilization of new GMP capacity targeted for early 2026, and financial updates such as revenue, cash balance, and operating costs to gauge the platform’s commercial traction.

Key Terms

crdmo financial

"an oligonucleotide Contract Research Development and Manufacturing organization (CRDMO)"

A CRDMO is a third-party firm that combines research, development and manufacturing services for drugs or medical products, handling tasks from lab testing and product design through to large-scale production. For investors, a CRDMO is important because it lets healthcare companies scale and reduce upfront costs and technical risk—like hiring a full-service contractor to design and build a house instead of doing each job yourself—which can affect a firm’s timelines, expenses and potential returns.

oligonucleotide therapeutics medical

"more efficient manufacturing of oligonucleotide therapeutics that address large markets"

Short, synthetic pieces of genetic material designed to change how a cell reads or uses a specific gene, like leaving a precise instruction note that tells a cell to make less, more, or a different form of a protein. Investors care because these therapies can target diseases other drugs cannot, offering high reward if successful, but they also carry significant development, regulatory and manufacturing risks that can make outcomes binary — either strong commercial value or failure.

rna medical

"access to an innovative, scalable RNA manufacturing solution powered by enzymatic synthesis"

RNA (ribonucleic acid) is a natural molecule that carries instructions from a cell’s DNA to make proteins and can also act as a tool to turn genes on or off; think of it as a messenger or software that tells biological machinery what to build or modify. It matters to investors because RNA-based tests and therapies can create new markets or change treatment costs and regulatory risk, so progress or setbacks in RNA science often drive valuation swings in biotech companies.

enzymatic synthesis technical

"scalable RNA manufacturing solution powered by enzymatic synthesis"

Enzymatic synthesis is the use of enzymes—natural biological catalysts—to build or modify molecules much like specialized workers on an assembly line, guiding pieces into precise arrangements. For investors, it matters because this approach can lower costs, speed up development, reduce waste and improve product consistency compared with traditional chemical methods, affecting production scalability, regulatory risk and potential profit margins.

cdmos financial

"through collaborations with best-in-class CDMOs"

Contract Development and Manufacturing Organizations (CDMOs) are independent companies that help drug and biologic developers by designing, testing, scaling up and producing medicines on a contract basis — think of them as a hired factory and research partner that turns a medical idea into a manufacturable product. They matter to investors because they provide steady, service-based revenue, spread development and production risk for drug makers, and their capacity, quality and pricing can directly affect the speed and cost of getting medicines to market.

AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Jan. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Codexis, Inc. (NASDAQ: CDXS), a leading provider of enzymatic solutions for efficient and scalable therapeutics manufacturing and Axolabs, part of LGC Group, an oligonucleotide Contract Research Development and Manufacturing organization (CRDMO), today announced that they have entered into an agreement under which Axolabs will evaluate Codexis' ECO Synthesis Manufacturing Platform.

This partnership provides Axolabs access to an innovative, scalable RNA manufacturing solution powered by enzymatic synthesis. The Agreement paves the way for future licensing discussions and potentially broader adoption of the platform.

"Part of our mission is to expand the reach of our ECO Synthesis Manufacturing Platform through collaborations with best-in-class CDMOs," said Alison Moore, President & CEO of Codexis. "Axolabs is an industry-leading CRDMO, and we are delighted to enter into this partnership with them to enable more efficient manufacturing of oligonucleotide therapeutics that address large markets."

Kathleen Campau, Senior Director of Operations for Axolabs said: "This technology has the potential to be pivotal to how therapeutic oligonucleotides are manufactured at scale in the future, enabling more sustainable and cost-effective production. At Axolabs, we are committed to advancing the science behind therapeutic oligonucleotides, and this partnership builds on our long-standing legacy of technology leadership in the field".

The Codexis and Axolabs collaboration reinforces both companies' commitment to excellence and expanding access to high-quality oligonucleotide-based medicines globally.

About Codexis, Inc.

Codexis is a leading provider of enzymatic solutions for efficient and scalable therapeutics manufacturing, leveraging its proprietary CodeEvolver® technology platform to discover, develop and enhance novel, high-performance enzymes. Codexis enzymes solve for real-world challenges associated with small molecule pharmaceuticals manufacturing and nucleic acid synthesis. The Company is currently developing its proprietary ECO Synthesis Manufacturing Platform to enable the scaled manufacture of RNAi therapeutics through an enzymatic route. Codexis' unique enzymes can drive improvements such as higher yields, reduced energy usage and waste generation, improved efficiency in manufacturing and greater sensitivity in genomic and diagnostic applications. For more information, visit https://www.codexis.com 

About Axolabs

Axolabs is at the frontier of nucleic acid therapeutics, advancing the design, development, and production of life-changing RNA-based drugs. From early discovery to GMP manufacturing, we offer an end-to-end platform that helps biotech and pharma partners bring innovative therapies to patients faster.

Our global presence includes state-of-the-art sites in Kulmbach, Berlin, and Petaluma, with each site specialising in a specific phase of your drug development journey.

Axolabs is part of LGC Group. For more information, please visit https://www.axolabs.com

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/codexis-expands-reach-of-the-eco-synthesis-manufacturing-platform-through-a-signed-evaluation-agreement-with-axolabs-for-oligonucleotide-therapeutics-302654175.html

SOURCE Codexis

FAQ

What did Codexis (CDXS) announce on January 7, 2026 about Axolabs?

Codexis announced an evaluation agreement with Axolabs to test its ECO Synthesis Manufacturing Platform for oligonucleotide manufacturing.

How could the Codexis-Axolabs agreement affect CDXS licensing prospects?

The agreement enables evaluations that may lead to future licensing discussions if Axolabs' testing is successful.

What is the goal of Axolabs evaluating Codexis ECO Synthesis for oligonucleotides?

Axolabs will assess the platform's potential to enable scalable, sustainable, and cost-effective oligonucleotide production.

Does the January 7, 2026 announcement include financial terms or revenue guidance for CDXS?

No financial terms, revenue guidance, or transaction values were disclosed in the announcement.

Will the Axolabs evaluation immediately change Codexis (CDXS) manufacturing capacity?

No; the announcement describes an evaluation only and does not state immediate changes to Codexis' manufacturing capacity.