The technology in question is Ambr, a benchtop bioreactortechnology developed by Tap Biosystems, is capable of processing 24 fed-batch reactions simultaneously in which the pH and disolved oxygen (DO) concentration of each reaction chamber can be controlled.
Cobra told Outsourcing-pharma.com that: ” It [Ambr] helps us to screen more efficiently for the upstream and you can make final selection of the clone based on quality attributes that are more likely to be predictable for large scale material compared to material produced in shake flasks.”
The firm claims the technology – which it leases from Tap on a non-exclusive bases - reduces development time by 16 weeks, compared with glass bioreactors that are commly used to do this type of work.
The contract manufacturing organisation (CMO) expects the shorter development timelines to help it attract customers for its biologic drug production business.
”Time is of the essence as much as cost for our customers. The main benefit with Ambr is shortened time with increased quality data for selection of the clone. However, media costs are also reduced.
”Cell line development is on the critical path to generate material for clinical trials. The quality of the material is critical and the cell line development can have a significant impact on this.
Cobra added that: ”It is still too early to say what impact this [Ambr] is having but certainly our team is extremely busy and both interest and business has significantly increased since 2011.”
The addition of the bioreactor technology is one of a number of developments at Cobra since it gained its independence from its former owner last year, the most recent of which was the firm’s acqusition of Swedish CMO Unitech Pharma in November.