Sartorius Stedim, SAFC Enter Bio-Service Alliance

Sartorius Stedim Biotech and SAFC Biosciences, a member of the Sigma-Aldrich group, have signed a global partnership agreement that combines Sartorius’ expertise in filtration and liquid handling systems with SAFC’s proficiency in development and manufacturing of cell culture media and downstream purification products. The alliance is aimed at providing more robust and comprehensive solutions to biopharmaceutical manufacturers.

Each company will offer its products with the assistance and support of its partner in an effort to better serve customers with solutions, validation support, process improvement, technical support and problem solving. The companies will combine their expertise in generating application data on filter and mixing performance with critical purification buffers and cell culture media. Extractable and leachable data will also be generated with buffers and media, and filters and biobag combinations. SAFC expects to use Sartorius’ technology for storage and mixing of cell culture media to optimize its fluid/powder handling systems.

Reinhard Vogt, executive vice president and board member of Sartorius Stedim Biotech, said, “This additional capability is instrumental for offering fully integrated cell culture media storage and mixing solutions. For customers, this partnership will yield a powerful combination of fluid management and liquid/powder systems and help them to enhance the efficiency of their cell culture processes. With this agreement, we are moving one step closer to the reality of a ‘totally disposable factory,’ with integrated technologies and control systems.”

Archie Cullen, SAFC vice president global sales, added, “Sartorius Stedim Biotech offers SAFC Biosciences the opportunity to partner with a market leader in process and single-use technologies development, and enables us to provide integrated, single-use systems to the global biopharmaceutical cell culture community. This agreement enhances our position as the cell culture partner with the widest range of highly customized products and services. It further demonstrates that our customer intimacy approach helps us lead as the biopharmaceutical industry’s responsive expert.”