PD & Pilot Scale Process Intensification | Sartorius

Intensification Strategies Start With a Focus on Process Development

Optimized Scalable Process for Shorter Time to Market

Efficient process development (PD) including a high-titer cell line, clone selection and optimization, and process characterization is critical to develop a scalable upstream process. Now, with technology scalable to fit different intensified process types, PD also enables opportunities to optimize.

Sartorius offers PD solutions for high productivity, flexible upstream intensification processes and increased speed to IND.

Identify the right clone earlier

High throughput screening tools allow for faster selection of optimized clone, media and upstream process.

Accelerate speed to IND submission

Be “right first time” by integrating PAT and data analytic tools for enhanced molecule characterization and process understanding.

Seamless scalability from PD to manufacturing

Bioprocessing 4.0 starts from PD. Data management, trend monitoring and recipe transfer tools ensure reliable scale-up and tech transfer. 

Cell Line & Media Development

For the development of a new therapeutic, early identification of robust, stable and highly productive cell line, media and cell culture conditions suitable for intensified processes are very important. However, the multitude of time- and labor-intensive experiments required to generate a viable cell line result in longer development times and higher cost.

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Your Need:

Early identification of a productive cell line depends on a robust and efficient screening platform or a reliable partner that can develop a perfusion process in less time. In particular, you need:

  • Automated high-throughput tools mimicking perfusion process
  • Simple and easy-to-use DOE software
  • Expertise in cell line development and perfusion clone selection
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Our Unique Solutions:

Sartorius supplies state-of-the-art, industry-leading solutions and services for cell line development, as well as clone and media screening. Our solutions include:

  • Ambr® 15 HT multi-parallel bioreactor system for efficient clone and perfusion media screening under perfusion-mimicking conditions at the smallest scale
  • 4Cell® XtraCHO Media System  for effective cultivation of CHO cells
  • MODDE® software for straightforward DOE analysis of process parameters and their interaction effects
  • Expert Cell Line Development Services using Cellca CHO Expression Platform for rapid generation of cell cultures, going from DNA to RCB in just 14 weeks

  Consult Our Experts

USP PD & Clarification

Accelerating upstream process development and time to IND requires a reliable, scalable and optimized process. However, manual and time-intensive development processes, lack of in-line process sensors and high-capacity clarification solutions extend development timelines.

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Your Need:

To realize the benefits of intensified upstream process development, you need reliable and efficient scale-down models that predict performance at large scales, with the following capabilities:

  • Automated high-throughput tools for perfusion  
  • Scale-down, perfusion-enabled benchtop bioreactors
  • In-line PAT tools for better process understanding
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Our Unique Solutions:

Sartorius provides scalable and perfusion-enabled solutions for upstream process optimization and clarification from 250 mL to 2000 L, including:

 Consult Our Experts

Capture Chromatography

Affinity chromatography captures the target molecule by binding it to a ligand while most of the bulk impurities flow through from the clarified feed stream. However, higher product titers obtained using perfusion processes and the labor-and time-intensive chromatography process development lead to high costs, low productivity and low product yields.

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Your Need:

Your affinity capture program requires semi-continuous capture capabilities that can be easily integrated with upstream perfusion technology and that supports:

  • Multi-column chromatography
  • Flexibility and automation
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Our Unique Solutions:

Sartorius offers  the following flexible and cost-effective solution for affinity chromatography, providing 3-5x productivity along with significant savings on resin costs:

  • BioSMB PD System single-use, automated, high-efficiency multi-column chromatography solution for easy integration with both fed-batch and perfusion processes

Consult Our Experts

Polishing

Polishing chromatography occurs post-capture to remove remaining impurities, such as HCP, DNA and potential viruses, from the product stream. However, the low capacity of chromatography media combined with highly manual and long development processes increase overall costs and extend timelines.

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Your Need:

For effective polishing, you need scalable chromatography media that enable efficient impurity removal and that feature:

  • High-efficiency and cost-effective media
  • Flexibility, automation and low footprint
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Our Unique Solutions:

Sartorius provides flexible choices between membrane adsorbers and resins that reduce footprint and buffer usage, driving cost-effectiveness while increasing flexibility in operations:

  • Sartobind® single batch use, high-capacity and high-flux membrane adsorbers for rapid purification of biomolecules
  • CMM Hypercel™ high-efficiency and cost-effective mixed-mode resins for cation exchange chromatography

 Consult Our Experts

Virus Clearance

Viral clearance strategies include virus inactivation and removal. pH adjustment after low pH virus inactivation can lead to a lot of aggregate formation that requires efficient filtration. Robust removal of all potential viruses is also critical. However, low depth filter flux and capacity, low virus filter throughput and early virus breakthrough lead to long filtration times and large filter areas.

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Your Need:

Your virus clearance strategy requires robust and scalable viral clearance and bioburden reduction solutions that deliver:

  • High-capacity virus filtration
  • Efficient bioburden reduction
  • High product yield
  • Solutions for both in-process holds and buffer solutions
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Our Unique Solutions:

Sartorius provides efficient, reliable and cost-effective solutions for viral clearance, aggregate removal and bioburden reduction:  

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TFF & Final Filtration

Final steps of downstream processing call for tangential flow filtration (TFF) to obtain the desired product concentration and buffer formulation, as well as sterile filtration to ensure sterility and safety. However, multiple experiments for optimized formulation buffer, variation in feed streams and low flux filters result in long filtration times and large filter areas.

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Your Need:

To produce a final drug substance, you need robust and efficient solutions for formulation screening, crossflow process development and sterile filtration of the drug substance, including:

  • Automatic, high-throughput tools with DOE capability
  • Low-adsorption and high-flux filters  
  • Optimized solutions for different feed streams
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Our Unique Solutions:

Sartorius provides robust, scalable, efficient TFF and final filtration solutions that accelerate process development and enable high product yield:

Consult Our Experts

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Cell Line Development and Clone Selection

Critical steps that determine future success

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Clone and Media Optimization

Support rapid growth to high densities

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Process Characterization

Real-time, scalable data at your fingertips

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Cell Line Development and Clone Selection

PI Process Compatibility Starts Here

Cell Line Development (CLD) includes gene cloning, cell line selection and characterization, media selection and Master Cell and Working Cell banking. Many regard the selection of the appropriate production clone as the most critical step in CLD. If the PD team starts with one clone and then decides to switch to another, it would require major process changes . These changes would bring both significant delays and additional costs.  ​

This is why development and characterization of the cell line for identity, purity and stability are crucial. Sartorius is a reliable partner for these critical steps, offering a Cell Line Development Service, a high-titer cell line with CellcaCHO Expression Platform, and perfusion enabled media.​

The Intensification Potential with CellcaCHO

The CellcaCHO Expression Platform is a scalable cell line and fed-batch process development system. It delivers stable research clones from DNA to research cell bank in 14 weeks and a fully characterized master cell bank in 10 months.  

The CellcaCHO supports the potential of optimization:

  • Combine with N-1 perfusion to more than double titer with 30-40% fewer culture days in the production bioreactor, resulting in up to 2x productivity
  • Use in concentrated fed-batch to enable a double-digit titer resulting in up to 4x productivity 
  • Pair with dynamic perfusion to achieve a 5x increase in productivity

Learn More   Consult Our Experts

Chemically Defined, Optimized and Highly Productive

The 4Cell® XtraCHO-Media system is chemically defined and optimized for CHO DG44 cell lines:

  • Contains CHO media and feeds, optimized for protein manufacturing
  • Supports rapid growth to high densities and high cell growth rates compared to standard-serum supplemented media
  • All the critical parameters (e.g., viability, titer and lactate) remain consistent while cultivating the cells in bioreactors with various volumes
  • Processes can be easily transferred and scaled-up to bioreactors up to 2,000 L, saving up to 3 months for scalability studies 

The 4Cell® XtraCHO-Media system is cost-efficient, compliant with regulatory guidelines, and provides reliable batch-to-batch consistency.

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Intensify to Meet Current and Future Demands

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N-1

Reducing COGS has become mission critical

Explore N-1 Perfusion
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Dynamic-Perfusion

Smaller footprint and initial investment, greater efficiency

Explore Dynamic Perfusion
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Concentrated Fed-Batch

Achieve the highest productivity possible

Explore Concentrated Fed-Batch

Clone and Media Optimization

Optimization for High Productivity

Cell culture media optimization is a crucial point of focus when exploring perfusion processes to achieve higher productivity. The medium should support rapid growth to high densities, achieve high cell growth rates with maximum viable cell concentration and provide batch-to-batch consistency. 

Process Development Services for Perfusion Process Optimization

Many cell lines were identified in a standard fed-batch process performed in Ambr® 15 microbioreactors. These cell lines show high intensification potential, but the best clone from standard fed-batch selection might not be the best in perfusion.   

Mimicking the perfusion process for clone selection will not only save time, it can also enable a three-fold increase in productivity. Sartorius‘ Process Development Service makes this possible by offering a combined solution that includes cell line, media, process development and the technology to deliver optimal results.

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Rely on Ambr® 15 to Deliver the Data Needed for Intensification

The Ambr® 15 is the smallest single-use bioreactor on the market with system automation and parallel operation, and can be a starting point for process intensification:

  • Identify suitable clones, media and feeds to achieve great performance in perfusion mode
  • Mimic perfusion process to produce reliable and relatable data for intensified processes
  • Reduce cost-per-experiment by saving substantial amounts on facility space, capital, labor, media and consumables

Explore Ambr® 15 Cell Culture     Consult Our Experts

An Easier Path to DOE

MODDE® is an easy-to-use solution for Design of Experiments (DOE). It offers design space functionality, multiple automated workflows, and improved process understanding through visualization and graph interaction. With an efficient DOE approach to problem-solving, you can:  

  • Significantly reduce experimental costs   
  • De-risk projects and increase success rates  
  • Make the most of valuable samples, raw materials and human resources   
  • Accelerate progress and time-to-market while keeping within budget  
  • Achieve quality goals and satisfy Quality by Design requirements

Explore MODDE® DOE Software     Consult Our Experts

iQue3 for Actionable Results from Smaller Samples in Record Time

iQue3  is an advanced flow cytometry platform for high throughput clone screening.

  • Rapid microvolume sampling provides the fastest sample acquisition in the industry  
  • 96-well plates processed in as few as five minutes  
  • 384-well plates in 15-20 minutes
  • Requires the smallest assay volumes and sample volumes – as little as a 1 mL – saving reagents and conserving precious cells
  • Key applications for iQue3 with process intensification are clone ranking and selection of production clones with rapid and simultaneous evaluation of IgG titer, specific productivity, and cell health

Explore iQue3 Screener     Consult Our Experts

Intensify to Meet Current and Future Demands

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N-1

Reducing COGS has become mission critical

Explore N-1 Perfusion
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Dynamic-Perfusion

Smaller footprint and initial investment, greater efficiency

Explore Dynamic Perfusion
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Concentrated Fed-Batch

Achieve the highest productivity possible

Explore Concentrated Fed-Batch

Process Characterization

Process Characterization for Establishing Perfusion-Based Processes

Characterizing an established perfusion-based process in scale-down models helps identify the economy of the process while mimicking the performance of large-scale bioreactors. Process parameters such as cell density and viability, titer and lactate level must be monitored in real-time to get the most benefit from the data.

Sartorius offers single-use and scalable technology solutions to supports perfusion-based process development. 

Biostat® B-DCU Benchtop Bioreactor

The Biostat® B-DCU benchtop bioreactor with advanced PAT and MFCS perfusion recipes can be used from screening to characterization of intensified processes.

  • Configurable options offer maximum flexibility
  • Accommodates working volumes from 250 mL to 10 L
  • Aeration and feeding strategies with sensor technologies mimic commercial-scale bioreactors
  • Configurable mass flow controllers cover a flow range from 1 mL to 20 L per minute
  • Expand existing system by adding further supply towers (up to 6)

Explore Biostat® B-DCU     Consult Our Experts

A Fully Integrated Solution for Perfusion at PD Scale

Ambr® 250 HT perfusion supports the rapid development of scalable perfusion processes:

  • Up to 24 x 100-250 mL single-use perfusion bioreactors operating in parallel
  • Includes a fully automated liquid handling platform
  • Reduces systems hands-on time by 50%
  • Requires 13% less media than benchtop bioreactors for lower experiment costs

Only Sartorius offers a fully integrated solution for perfusion at the PD scale. Processes developed in Ambr® systems can be easily scaled from RM 20/50 to RM 200 and up to STR 2000 L.

Explore Ambr® 250 HT Perfusion     Consult Our Experts

Octet Systems for Functional Characterization and Protein Quantitation​

Octet is a low maintenance, label-free biomolecular interactions analysis platform. It monitors binding of proteins from solution to a biosensor surface in real time. Using Octet during process characterization effectively:

  • Reduces experiment time: 96 samples in 20 minutes, 384 samples in 70 minutes
  • Delivers 20x faster than traditional ELISA and HPLC (IgG titer)  
  • Operates 2x faster than traditional SPR (method development)
  • Increases capacity for QC samples testing  
  • Only requires 10% the hands-on time of traditional ELISA

Key applications for process intensification are functional characterization and protein quantification, as well as glycan screening and contaminant testing. Octet can also be used for residual host cell protein detection.

Explore Octet Analysis Platform     Consult Our Experts

Intensify to Meet Current and Future Demands

icon-lower-cost-of-goods

N-1

Reducing COGS has become mission critical

Explore N-1 Perfusion
icon-reduce-footprint

Dynamic-Perfusion

Smaller footprint and initial investment, greater efficiency

Explore Dynamic Perfusion
icon-increase-productivity

Concentrated Fed-Batch

Achieve the highest productivity possible

Explore Concentrated Fed-Batch
Article

(Re)Defining Process Intensification

PDF | 343.7 KB
Article

Enabling Broader Adoption of Process Intensification in Biopharma

PDF | 671.0 KB
Publication

Accelerating Intensified Bioprocesses with High-Throughput Small-Scale Tools; BioProcess International

PDF | 8.7 MB
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The Medicine Maker Webinar: Downstream Process Intensification

Join Sartorius as we explore solutions for downstream process intensification. Our experts will discuss key technologies such as chromatography.

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The Missing Link in Your PI Plan

Explore the implications of media management in an intensification strategy in this webinar featuring Sartorius experts.

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Process Intensification Webinar Series

Sartorius' experts sharing best practices and addressing critical questions.

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