Elan Study shows Sepragen bioreactor to be over 25 times more efficient than traditional Bag Bioreactor

April 2009, Hayward, CA... In a recently concluded study whose results were presented as a poster at IBC Antibody Production Conference in San Diego, researchers from Elan Pharmaceuticals compared the newly introduced 1 liter Sepragen Express Bioreactor with the conventional 10 liter Wave Bioreactor purchased from GE Healthcare.

The Sepragen Express bioreactor is the world’s first fully aerobic bioreactor. Cells grow on a high surface area matrix which is suspended in a sterile chamber containing air/co2. Media drips on it providing nutrients to the cell surface, while products and waste metabolites are continuously removed. Unlike conventional cultures where the cells are submerged and air has to be sparged into the media followed by stirring or rocking of the media to facilitate oxygen transfer, in the Express Bioreactor the cells are always only a thin layer of media away from oxygen regardless of cell density. Oxygen availability is very high and there is zero shear force.

The report indicated that both were seeded with the same number of cells. The Wave was run for about 12 days to terminal harvest while the Sepragen Express ran in continuous production for over 110 days and was taken down because the production needs were met. The data showed the daily productivity of the Express to be 2.8 times higher than the Wave or 28 times higher on a per liter basis. The yields were also 15% higher in the Sepragen system. Product quality as measured by HPLC and electrophoresis was identical and the product characteristics as measured by molecular weight and binding constants were the same.

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