Cell therapy downstream processing

Processes for downstream purification of advanced cell therapies differ dramatically from other biologics. Our cell therapy solutions can help you successfully execute the complex steps required to obtain the final cell dose within the required quality parameters.

We offer downstream process optimization services that focus on reducing turnaround times, improving recovery, and reducing the cost per gram of protein produced.

Methods required to obtain the final cell dose within the specified quality parameters include:
Centrifugation for removal of debris, washing, and concentration of the cell dose:

Centrifugation is critical throughout the cell therapy manufacturing process. During downstream process, centrifugation can be used to remove unwanted substances such as media, culture media components, or cell debris, as well as increasing the concentration of cells. Finally, centrifugation can be used to harvest cells when cells have reached the desired stage of growth, allowing them to be processed into a final therapeutic product.

Alternatives to centrifugation, such as counter-flow centrifugation:

Counterflow centrifugation enables cell separation based on size and density and can allow for dead cell removal to improve cell viability of the final cell therapy product.

Depth and ultrafiltration using tangential flow filtration (TFF) options:

TFF passes a fluid tangentially across the surface of a porous filter or membrane. Particles that are larger than the pore size of the membrane remain in the flow path while smaller particles migrate across the membrane. This mode of filtration ensures a higher yield and longer filter or membrane life over direct-flow filtration, which forces fluid perpendicularly through a filtration medium. TFF is used for many different filtration applications, including those crucial to downstream processing in cell therapy.

Process efficiency, especially in the downstream phase, is crucial for cell therapy. Avantor collaborates with you to understand your downstream challenges and deliver tailored solutions.

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Biopharma production chemicals and excipients

Avantor manufacturers and distributes biopharmaceutical products and excipients providing structured choice and risk mitigation – for biopharmaceutical development, pilot scale and commercial manufacturing.

Single-use solutions

Avantor is the only open-architecture, single-use provider to offer complete design, manufacturing and logistics to support every stage of your biomanufacturing process—wherever your operations are located across the globe. Our global capabilities and supply chain and quality programs are designed to give the peace of mind so you can focus your time on producing critical therapies, quickly and safely.

Environmental control

Maintaining environmental control during the manufacturing or down packing process is part of managing your risk. Avantor offers products from industry-leading manufacturers backed by a team of specialists with technical and industry experience to recommend the best solutions to meet your needs. Our controlled environment specialists are trained on ISO and IEST protocols. As members of IEST and PDE, they remain current on environmental control manufacturing industry trends and codes.

Preparation of buffers

Phosphate-based buffers have been widely used for the washing and recovery of the cell product. Our offering includes the standard and modified phosphate buffered saline (PBS) and Dulbecco’s Phosphate Saline (DPBS).

Downstream process optimization support

From pre-clinical through commercial manufacturing, Avantor works closely with biopharmaceutical customers to reduce downstream optimization turnaround times so biopharmaceutical customers can reach the market faster with new therapeutics.