Yesterday at the 2014 International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT) annual meeting in Paris, France, Fresenius Kabi launched its new Lovo cell-processing system intended to remove supernatants from target cells and store them in viable media.
Spokesman for the company Matt Kuhn told Biopharma-Reporter.com the system can be used by biomanufacturers “in both upstream and downstream applications when there is a need to concentrate, wash or dilute cells,” and can be described as an automated ‘cell-washing’ processor.
“Cell washing is important because often the media used to expand cells is not needed or wanted as a final storage media,” he explained. “Lovo enables the expansion media to be replaced with another media solution.”
Whilst Kuhn told us there were other methods for washing cells available to manufacturers, the Lovo system enables a faster, flexible and altogether automated approach.
“There are alternatives, including manual processing that requires centrifugation and pellitization of the cells,” he said. However, “Lovo uses a "spinning membrane" technology that unlike centrifugation is not pelletizing and automates the process."
Alternatives do not fully meet market expectations, he continued, and Fresenius Kabi had responded to customers who “have been calling for development of optimal methods and devices with minimal cell loss and damage, and Lovo has that.”
The system has an output of between 50ml and 5L, depending on cell type, cell concentration and source volume, and Fresenius Kabi intends to launch it in the US later this year to biotech firms as well as facilities that process cells for clinical trials and academic institutions.
As for initial response from industry regarding the Lovo, Kuhn said: “Biomanufacturers are excited about an automated solution to a largely manual process.”