UPenn, Univercells partner to enhance gene therapy production

Under the terms of the agreement, GTP – an academic program focused on genetic medicines led by James Wilson, professor of internal medicine and pathology and laboratory medicine – will use Univercells Technologies’ scale-X nitro bioreactor to increase viral vector production.

“We are determining the scalability of GTP’s gene therapy product manufacturing using Univercells Technologies’ bioreactors,” a spokesperson for Univercells told BioProcess Insider.

“The objective is to demonstrate that an AAV viral vector can be successfully scaled to the largest-scale bioreactor, the scale-xTM nitro 600 bioreactor which has a surface area of 600 square-meter. This will represent a significant increase in yield per batch and an attendant decrease in the cost of goods sold.”

The scale-X bioreactor is a fixed bed bioreactor in which cells are sequestered in a non-woven fabric substrate. According to the firm, cells in the scale-X bioreactor have higher cell specific productivity than other bioreactors.

Another benefit of the bioreactor is that host cell DNA and host cell proteins in the harvest are reduced due to the filter effect of the fixed bed. Developed with the support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the bioreactor lowered the cost for polio and other public health vaccines.

“Not only is there manufacturing efficiency but there are also lower costs for analytics which are expensive, timing consuming and divert valuable material from clinical use. We have relationships with contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMOs) who are positioned to serve customers wanting to adopt the scale-X platform.”

In July 2023, Minneapolis-based filtration firm Donaldson acquired Univercells for €136 million ($148 million) on a cash-free, debt-free basis and subject to closing agreements. As a part of the deal, Donaldson retained all Univercells employees.

At the time of the acquisition, Donaldson CEO, Tod Carpenter said, “The acquisition of Univercells Technologies represents an important next step in Donaldson’s life sciences strategy, as we continue to expand our product portfolio aimed at providing customers with a comprehensive, differentiated offering.”