Cellexus, launches the CellMaker Regular™ - new, improved single-use bioreactor system

PRLog (Press Release) - Jul 20, 2009 -
Cellexus Ltd, develops and markets a range novel single-use bioreactors and cell-based technologies for biopharmaceutical research and production. The new CellMaker Regular system has been specifically designed for bacterial and yeast fermentation. This single-use bioreactor system, which is available in 8 litre and 50 litre sizes, provides increased ODs and improved yields of soluble protein when compared with flask grown cultures.

The CellMaker Regular uses CellexusBags™, unique, single-use, disposable cell culture bags which allow fast set-up times and eliminate lengthy cleaning protocols. Whereas other disposable systems require shakers, rockers, rollers or large environmental chambers, the CellMaker Regular employs proprietary airlift technology to mix, aerate and maintain cell suspension. This system is simple, scalable and inexpensive to use. The CellMaker Regular controller allows for precise management of temperature (from 15 to 45⁰C), bag-pressure and flow of both air and oxygen into the culture. Accurate control of these parameters enables optimisation of culture growth and improved expression levels of soluble protein.

Mr Bob Cumming, the General Manager of Cellexus Limited, stated “We are very pleased to launch this new product. Since acquiring the Cellexus Biosystems assets in April 2008 we have listened very carefully to customer feedback and made significant design and operational improvements to the Cellexus Biosystems original CellMaker Lite. The new CellMaker Regular now includes oxygen generation capability and is designed to further improve performance. We will be following on the launch of this product with the CellMaker PLUS™, with the capability of culturing most cell types including mammalian and insect cell lines, which is due for launch later this 2009. We are committed to a programme of product development to meet our customers’ needs and are also developing a range of peripheral products, including those for sampling and oxygen generation, which will further facilitate system use and performance.

Cellexus provides a range of instruments and consumables to help researchers in the biopharmaceutical industry and academia develop new biopharmaceutical products from cell lines. Biopharmaceuticals are a rapidly evolving range of therapeutics generated by culturing cells in bioreactors and include proteins, antibodies or vaccines, with the possible of future medical treatments offered by stem cell research also falling into this category.

Cellexus's core technology is at the centre of a range of different product configurations and formats the Company offers that can be used for production of biological cells and proteins in a single-use bag format. This same configuration can also be used in biopharmaceutical manufacture for mixing various materials under clean and sterile conditions. These product range offer significant technological improvements for cell culture and cell growth to the biopharmaceutical industry.

The single-use (consumable) elements of the CellMaker bioreactors the Company markets are the CellexusBag™ and HybridBag. These single use self contained bags form a product range (there are currently six variants of the CellexusBag™ and two variants of the HybridBag) which are manufactured under clean room conditions and to the ISO standards required by the biopharmaceutical industry. The bioreactor products come with built-in chiller units and an oxygen generator, which removes the need for piped gas. The gentle flow of gas bubbles mixes the contents and the bag design reduces foaming. The CellMaker equipment used to manage the cell culture process is very simple, efficient and inexpensive to use. A patent protecting the Company’s Intellectual Property in this area was filed in December 2005 with a second patent application filed in June 2007.