Cellex

Cellex is a start-up company in the business of equipment for red-biotech technologies and large-scale pharmaceutical production, particularly bioreactors for advanced cell culture. Cell cultures are used in the production of life-saving drugs like insulin and vaccines, making up to 40% their production costs. Nowadays cell suspension environments are obtained through bioreactors with internal mechanical stirring or by rotation of the bioreactor walls. Such methods are affected by limitations: possible contamination and damage of the cells due to rotating mechanical impellers in the first case, the complexity of the devices due to the technological solutions adopted to obtain the rotation in the second. In addition, bioreactors currently distributed are closed systems, with poor and uneven supply of oxygen and nutrients. Cellex’ SUSPENCE® (SUSPension ENvironment for CEll Culture) is a game-changing suspension bioreactor, where cell suspension, nourishment and oxygenation are all ensured simply by the recirculation of the culture medium, thus dramatically reducing cell damage, enhancing cell proliferation, and maximizing drug production, thanks to its patented geometry. SUSPENCE® has achieved a cellular production efficiency up to 10 times higher than the best device available on the market. In a simulation of an antirabies vaccine production, SUSPENCE® allowed for a 190% higher throughput with respect to its best competitor, and a cost reduction between 21% and 36%.