Sartorius Stedim Biotech Extends Portfolio in the Area of Single-Use Bioreactors

Sartorius Stedim Biotech, a leading international supplier for the pharma and biotech industries, announced a substantial expansion of its technology portfolio in the area of single-use bioreactors.

At the 2009 ACHEMA, the world’s largest trade show for the process industry, the company is presenting two prototypes of innovative single-use bioreactors that operate based on novel mixing technologies. These cell culture systems were developed in cooperation with the German company Bayer Technology Services GmbH (BTS) and the Swiss cell culture specialist ExcellGene SA. The new bioreactors have been specially designed for the manufacture of monoclonal antibodies, recombinant proteins and vaccines.

So far, Sartorius Stedim Biotech has been offering its customers in the pharma and biotech industries two types of single-use bioreactor: the BIOSTAT CultiBag STR product line, which features a stirred tank design as in conventional reusable bioreactors, and the BIOSTAT CultiBag RM that uses rocking motion for mixing of cell cultures. At the outset of 2010, the company plans to extend its technology portfolio by two further systems: a rotationally oscillating bioreactor and an orbital shake bioreactor. Each of these four agitation technologies offers users specific advantages contingent upon the cells to be produced, the scale-up level of the cell cultures and additional process parameters.

“Based on this comprehensive technology platform, we are taking a huge step forward towards achieving our goal of becoming the global market leader in single-use bioreactors,“ commented Dr. Oscar-Werner Reif, who is responsible for research and development on Sartorius Stedim Biotech’s Board of Directors, on both partnerships. “Whatever our customers’ application, we offer the best solution, both technically and economically.“

Both partners of Sartorius Stedim Biotech are each bringing new process-optimized cell cultivation technologies, application-enhanced drive and container technology and biological evaluation of the new bioreactors into these cooperative alliances. Sartorius Stedim Biotech provides its expertise in disposable cultivation vessels and bags as well as single-use sensor technology and supplies the bioreactor control system, BIOSTAT, for controlling the new bioreactors. Today, BIOSTAT is already the global benchmark in the market for conventional, reusable bioreactors.