Cellexus Biosystems to preview the CellMaker Lite™ at SCIpharm in May 2006

Cellexus Biosystems PLC (Cambridgeshire, UK) will be giving an exclusive preview of its first product, the CellMaker™ Lite at the SCIpharm event in Edinburgh, UK, on the 14th - 17th of May 2006.

The CellMaker Lite is the first of a number of versions of the Company’s disposable bioreactor technology. The CellMaker Lite system is unique in the way that it grows cells in a disposable bag (the CellexusBag™) because it does not shake, stir, rock or roll the culture like other bioreactors. This means that the system is simple to operate and inexpensive to purchase and maintain.

One of the key features of the Cellexus Biosystems technology is the distinctive geometry of the CellexusBag. This allows the gentle flow of the aeration gas to mix the contents, in the way an air-lift reactor does. Unlike other airlift reactors, the CellexusBag also has a disproportionately large surface area through which gases can be exchanged. In addition, the CellexusBag can be pressurised further promoting gas exchange.

“From the outset, we wanted to create a new process for cell culture. We aim to replace traditional bioreactors made from glass and steel with their associated issues of decontamination and validation, but at the same time solving the challenge of getting sufficient oxygen into solution to maintain fast growing cells – often a problem with bag-based disposable systems. The CellMaker series is the alternative we were seeking” explained Kevin Auton, CEO. “We wanted a simple system that could be used to culture bacterial, insect and mammalian cells and one that can also be used to grow adherent cell cultures using the micro carrier technology that is becoming prevalent.”

The CellMaker Lite will be available for cell cultures from 2-10 litres and also from 10-50 litres. By changing the size of the CellexusBag, while retaining the geometry, one system enclosure can be used to scale the culture 5-fold without having to change hardware.

The CellMaker Lite is being demonstrated for the first time at the exhibition of the major SCIpharm scientific conference organised by the Society for Chemical Industries (SCI). Information about the conference and its exhibition can be obtained from Cellexus Biosystems or SCI at www.scipharm.info.