Cygenics Biotech Awarded Cell Culture Spinner Flask Patent

[Wise Young]

I normally would not post a patent announcement of a technology advance of this type. However, after coming back from the Stem Cell Meeting in San Francisco, this particular announcement struck a bell for me. There is a need for significant investment into cell growing technologies because our current methods are limiting our ability to go rapidly from laboratory to clinical trials.

One of the main obstacles to producing cells for clinical application is the large volume of cells required. Before cells can go to clinical trial or be used in large numbers of people, methods must be developed to grow billions of cells. In many studies of rats and mice, the transplantation procedures use only millions of cells at the most. In humans, it may be necessary to use billions. To treat millions of people, therefore, one will need scale up the cell production by a million times or more.

Most cell production systems are expensive and cumbersome. This particular innovation is of interest because it is a 500 ml system that can produce similar results as a 5 liter system. This and other technologies may be key to generating the large numbers of customized cells for clinical trials. Little technical advances like these may make the difference between success and failure of clinical trials, as well as lower the cost and increase the rate of clinical trials of cell transplantation therapies.

Wise.

Cygenics Biotech Awarded Cell Culture Spinner Flask Patent

Sydney, Mar 16, 2006 (ACN Newswire) - Leading cell therapy services company CyGenics Ltd. (ASX: CYN) announced that its US-based subsidiary, Cytomatrix LLC, had been granted US Patent 6991933, Cell Culture Spinner Flasks. This patent adds to the five already granted to the CyGenics group. A number of other patents are pending.

The patent is for the company's unique starwheel cell culture spinner flasks. These flasks provide an enhanced system for cell growth and improved secreted product yield by improving materials transfer via passive perfusion. The system can produce high concentrations of cells that can be used as targets for extraneous agent interaction such as viruses or stimulating compounds. Cells or modified cells grown in the system can be used to produce higher levels of secreted products while minimizing downstream processing.

The flasks are currently being used for research purposes and under license for small scale manufacture of specialized products.

The flasks are currently sold through the products arm of CyGenics, Cell Sciences and through a distributor in the US, BioMedical Resources, Northboro MA.

"Our system optimises research and small volume manufacture with the added benefit of a linearly scaleable path toward large volume manufacture system design," said Dr John Flickinger, President of Cytomatrix.

"A fully loaded system with a working volume of approximately 500 ml will produce at the level of a 5 L bioreactor on a small and easily manipulated foot print. This grant of patent reinforces CyGenics' intellectual property proposition, and protects us as we introduce these flasks into more markets around the world," said Steven Fang, CEO CyGenics. "I anticipate that this unique spinner system, employing our patented three-dimensional cellular growth scaffold, will continue to be well received by researchers and pharmaceutical companies".