The firm’s custom single run (CSR) bioreactor range – traditionally designed for mammalian cell cultivation – has expanded to accommodate the manufacture of therapeutic proteins and vaccines using microbial organisms.
“ABEC’s new CSR fermentation technology enables true microbial single-use fermentation at the largest scale available in the market – 1,000L,” spokesperson Susan Cooper-Curcio told us.
According to Cooper-Curcio, the vast majority of single-use bioreactors in use are created for mammalian cell culture, and not microbial fermentation.
“One limiter of single-use adoption for microbial fermentation is poor performance at large scale.”
However the company said it is well-versed in dealing with these hurdles in stainless steel fermentation systems: “With single-use systems, ABEC has leveraged that know-how and has further developed proprietary solutions to address these new challenges.”
The extended line will be made at ABEC facilities in the US and Ireland.
Last month, the company announced it had added a cleanroom to its manufacturing facility in Fermoy, Ireland, to make single-use bioreactor bags – known at ABEC as disposable containers (DCs).
Three years ago, ABEC launched a 4,300L single-use bioreactor, which was the largest on the market at that time.
The company has since increased its offering to 4,900L.