Technologies
ExcellGene's range of services stem from our strong commitment towards developing new technologies which we commercialize on our own or through our various partners. Our technologies of transient and stable gene expression and scalable disposable cultivation systems enable us to support our clients' efforts from early discovery and pre-clinical testing through to clinical testing and to manufacturing.
Novel Patented Fluorescent Mammalian Cell Technology for Process Acceleration
Fluorescent mammalian cells (useful for rapid process development, medium optimisation and other cell culture related issues) were first developed at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne, and ExcellGene's scientists have access to this technology due to a licensing agreement (Reference: Hunt et al 2001 Fluorescent Proteins in Animal Cells for Process Development: Optimisation of Sodium Butyrate Treatment as an Example, Biotechology and Bioengineering 77, 5, p. 528-537).
High efficiency mammalian expression vectors
Excellgene's own proprietary vector system, which uses high expressing promoters in combination with special gene expression enhancing sequences, allows for high level expression in mammalian cells. The vectors have been constructed in a modular fashion so as to allow for easy replacement of all major features and elements in order to flexibly accommodate special client requests.
Multi-Scale Orbital Shaking (OrbShake) Technology
Up-scaling cell culture systems from a test tube to large-scale production system, represents one of the major hurdles in the protein production industry.
Because of its low shear, high gas transfer and highly efficient mixing characteristics, the orbital shake bioreactor system offers a superior platform for
up-scaling cell culture processes. Providing a certain aspect ratio and shaking frequency, the local cell culture parameters are kept in a surprisingly
narrow range of optimal conditions. The different bioreactor sizes listed below provide a most effective up-scaling opportunity with minimal diversion
from optimised conditions, so far unequalled in the industry.
Reactor size ranges:
50 ml Cultiflask, Helical track Cultiflasks (TubeSpin bioreactors)
100 ml 10-liter shaking using various disposable containers
200-liter (50-150 L working volume) OrbShake bioreactor (co-marketed with Kühner AG), fitted with disposable Sartorius-Stedim manufactured
cell culture bags.
2000-liter (500-1500 L working volume) OrbShake bioreactor (co-marketed with Kühner AG) fitted with disposable Sartorius-Stedim manufactured
cell culture bags.
Disposable container technologies allow for rapid installation and execution of cell cultures within these bioreactor systems. Conventional bioreactor
technology required an elaborate, tedious sterilisation and preparation procedure, which are now avoided by ExcellGene's disposable technologies
(developed in cooperation with its partners) and thus enable ExcellGene to produce large quantities of high value protein within weeks.
Biomass Assessment Tool: Packed Cell Volume and VoluPAC Reader
A very fast volumetric cell quantification technique is systematically used at ExcellGene to either back up or replace traditional cell counting results. The mini PCV (Packed Cell Volume) tubes can be read manually or electronically. These PCV-tubes were originally developed at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne and the use of this very precise biomass assessment tool is now available through partnerships with TPP (Trasadingen, Switzerland) and Sartorius-Stedim Biotech SA (Aubagne, France) throughout the world. Following ExcellGene's strategy for full disposable technology, this quantification method is the most cost effective system with the most reproducible results. Even with cell aggregates, the method is most reliable (Reference: M. Stettler, N. Jaccard, D. Hacker, M. De Jesus, F. M. Wurm and M. Jordan, (2006) : New disposable tubes for rapid and precise biomass assessment for suspension cultures of mammalian cells, Biotechnol. Bioeng., 95 (6), pp. 1228-33).
Ultra-fast PROTEIN PRODUCTION
ExcellGene is the only service provider for large-scale fast protein expression from mammalian cells. Fast protein delivery to our clients is based on various stable and transient technologies allowing the production of gram quantities of recombinant proteins within a few weeks, thereby shortening product and process development timelines. Two superior cell host systems, ExcellGene's CHOExpress line and ExcellGene's HUGExpress line contribute to this capacity. Building upon its previous knowledge and expertise in this field, Excellgene has recently reported, in collaboration with scientists of the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) up to 1 gram/L antibody expression from transiently transfected HUGExpress cells. Combined with our technology in large-scale cell culture, these developments have allowed the production and recovery of several grams of purified protein within 3-4 weeks. This offers the ability to significantly reduce development timelines by access to proteins for purposes of process development (e.g. downstream processing) or pre-clinical testing. The largest scale of operation from single reactor transfections executed so far (globally) has been executed by ExcellGene scientists, based on CaPO4 transfection. Furthermore, using small-scale high throughput cell culture technologies, the TGE process has allowed access to mg quantities of proteins of hundreds of different proteins, like the parallel expression of multiple antigens or antibodies, in order to assist and speed-up product development.
