The acquisition of Erbi Biosystems will enable MilliporeSigma to offer a full range of bioreactors ranging from 2 ml to 2,000 L, says firm.   MilliporeSigma – the life sciences division of Germany’s Merck KGaA – has acquired Massachusetts-based firm Erbi for an undisclosed fee. According to the bioprocess vendor and contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), Erbi’s 2 ml micro-bioreactor platform, Breez, will strengthen its upstream portfolio.  The Breez bioreactors operate by using miniaturized valves, filters, mixing, pumps, and sensors to perform…

Thermo Fisher Scientific has introduced the Gibco CTS adeno-associated virus (AAV)- MAX Helper Free production system, which it says can save time and reduce costs by 50%. According to the firm, the all-in-one solution production system is “the only product of its kind that is manufactured under cGMP conditions to enable large-scale applications.” Additionally, Thermo says that the system has been designed to meet both clinical and commercial demands of AAV-based gene therapies, as well as bringing products to market…

The Grand Island facility, fresh from a $76 million expansion, will see a “limited” reduction in staff as Thermo Fisher adjusts to “stay current with the market.” Whether in liquid or powder form, Cell culture media is an integral part of producing biologics and vaccines, and an essential factor in cell viability, performance, and yield. As a supplier of such media, Thermo Fisher has undergone a $76 million expansion at its Grand Island, New York cell culture media facility, which…

The off-the-shelf OptiMaxx tangential flow filtration (TFF) system “brings open architecture” to downstream bioprocessing, says High Purity New England (HPNE). The Rhode Island-based single-use equipment supplier unveiled OptiMaxx last week to offer biomanufacturers a simpler and more customizable TFF system. “OptiMaxx brings open architecture, the versatility of being able to configure it for any processing needs,” Emily Peterson, BD manager of the OptiMaxx product line told this publication. “Whether it’s single-use or multi-use or using virtually any sensor or filter…

As a further sign of a post-COVID normalization in bioprocess demand, Danaher Corporation has reported a 20% drop in orders for Cytiva and Pall in Q3. Danaher Corporation does not break down its financials across its various business types, but speaking on its Q3 financial call the firm said its Biotechnology Group – the recently combined bioprocess offerings of Cytiva and Pall – had a strong quarter. Part of this is due to the continued demand for bioprocessing tools and…

Sartorius has reported a “swift normalization of demand” following two years of unprecedented pandemic-related growth combined with supply chain disruption. For the first nine months 2022, Sartorius pulled in sales of €3.11 billion ($3.05 billion) across its businesses, up 23.2% on the same period last year. The majority – €2.47 billion – came from its bioprocess solutions business, up 24.3 %, though order intake over the period dropped 10.3% year-on-year to €2.45 billion. “The development of the bioprocessing business was…

Purolite has cut the ribbon on the latest expansion at its chromatography resin production site in Wales, UK. Purolite manufactures resins out of agarose, a material originating from red seaweed. The firm turns the agarose into tiny beads, typically between 35 and 200 microns in size, which are then used as a raw material by biomanufacturers to purify monoclonal antibody therapies. The expansion at the Llantrisant site – located about 20km northwest of Cardiff – will treble Purolite’s capacity and…

Charles River Laboratories has launched its nAAVigation vector platform, which it says has the ability to reduce a gene therapy developers program timeline by 55%. According to Charles River Laboratories (CRL), its nAAVigation platform has been designed using its adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) experience. The company claims that its nAAVigation technology removes the need for significant process development by streamlining the pathway to AAV vector production. Additionally, CRL says that the 55% reduction to…

Chinese hamster ovary cells may be the foundation of modern biopharmaceuticals but the process of finding high-producer clones is too labor intensive, according to new research. The study – published in the Journal of Bioscience and Bioengineering in March – examined how the biopharmaceutical industry is using CHO cells and identified clone selection as a remaining challenge for the industry “CHO cells are widely used for constructing expression systems to produce therapeutic proteins. However, the establishment of high-producer clones remains a laborious and…