Advanced Biotech Applications
The integration of biology and engineering provides new options for both faster development of, and new approaches to therapeutic systems. Combining in-house technical capability with that of leading academic groups to provide novel enabling tools, Sartorius aligns such programs through dynamic relationships with end users. Strategic foci include harvesting rich, multiparametric molecular and cellular data from live biological processes without perturbation, the use of such data to inform, predict and control, and the engineering of biological tools to optimize required functions and remove confounding processes redundant in controlled environment production.
“Global reach and historical perspective give us a clear vision to innovate where complex problems require biologically relevant and rapid responses.”
Michael W. Olszowy, Ph.D., Research Fellow at Sartorius
Innovation Fields
Creating the protein factory of the future
The worldwide demand for protein therapeutics is growing. In parallel, molecule complexity and product quality challenges are rising alongside increasing pressure to reduce time-to-market and manufacturing costs. To solve these challenges optimization of existing production organisms or the establishment of novel expression systems with advantageous characteristics is essential. Based on its leading Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) expression platform Sartorius is creating modified “designer” cell lines with superior properties to provide the protein factory of the future. Sartorius is collaborating with leading technology partners on projects, including the development of novel genetic engineering tools enabling efficient, safe genome editing.
Gene-to-Process: Predicting and optimizing manufacturability
The number of novel biopharmaceutical proteins in development is continuously increasing. However, many drug candidates do not fulfill the demands of industrial manufacturing processes and require extensive optimization to achieve sufficient yields and quality, increasing the time-to-market and costs. Sartorius is working with leading institutions in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) to develop algorithms able to predict the manufacturability of a protein based on its primary sequence. Furthermore, these tools will allow the early identification of challenging candidates and inform developers of potential sequence modifications, increasing process compatibility and enabling their efficient transformation to manufacturable molecules.
Quantification of Viral Families with Potential for Pandemic Emergence
Rapid and specific total virus particle enumeration is critical to the accelerated development and manufacture of vaccines during the emergence of novel pathogenic viruses. Traditional methods of virus particle quantification require intimate knowledge of the virus in advance of the generation of primers for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and the creation/development of cell-based assays. In contrast, Sartorius’ Virus Counter 3100 was recently demonstrated to be effective in the enumeration of the human coronavirus 229E, using an established dual-dye (Combo Dye) approach in a 30-minute assay, as compared to the historical approaches that require days to complete or that are indirect.
Cell and Organoid Analytics
While two-dimensional culture continues to underpin high-throughput cell-based screening and analysis, differentiated cellular structures such as organoids are becoming more and more important. Increased physiological relevance to human systems combined with applications in precision medicine and replacement of some animal models makes organoids a critical component in the drug discovery and testing toolkit. Through collaborations with world-leading academic groups and technology developers, Sartorius is focused on providing system tools, accessible to scientists at the laboratory bench, that enable real-time insights into physiological processes in such complex cellular structures.
