New Bioreactor Design Could Boost mAb Yields
An innovative rotating drum bioreactor designed to maximize the availability of dissolved oxygen throughout the entire fermentation cycle could significantly increase mAb production yields. The post New Bioreactor Design Could Boost mAb Yields appeared first on GEN - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News .
Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are in high demand for various therapeutic applications, with 13 of the 16 FDA-approved biologics in 2024 being mAb-based drugs. Current bioreactors struggle to meet this demand, with yields typically below one-tenth of a gram per liter. Stirred-tank bioreactors, commonly used for mAb production, face limitations due to oxygen availability and shear stress, which can negatively impact cell growth and protein expression.
Researchers from the Italian National Agency for New Technologies propose a rotating-drum bioreactor as a potential solution, originally designed for bacterial growth in wastewater treatment. The prototype features a horizontal chamber with a slow-rotating perforated basket, two perpendicular paddles, and monitoring probes for temperature, pH, foam formation, and O₂ levels.
Head-to-head trials indicate that the rotating drum bioreactor can achieve a titer of 1.3 ± 0.09 g/L at day 10, nearly doubling the yield of traditional bioreactors. This increased oxygen availability and distinct operating conditions could support mammalian cell growth while maintaining high viability and enhancing mAb production.
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