Goettingen, Germany, February 27, 2013 / B3C newswire / – Sartorius Stedim Biotech (SSB), a leading international supplier for the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, has entered into a global sales and development partnership with Aber Instruments (Aber), a Welsh company for bioprocess and brewing equipment. Aber is a highly specialized supplier of sensor technology that is used by the biopharmaceutical industry for in-line biomass measurement in cell cultivation and fermentation processes.
Based on this cooperation, SSB has secured exclusive global marketing and distribution rights to Aber‘s single-use sensor technology for the biopharmaceutical market. As agreed, Aber will supply SSB with measuring instruments. SSB will manufacture the biomass sensors under licence, integrate these into its single-use bioreactors and exclusively market these products in a dual-branding arrangement. New single-use sensors will be developed by both companies. SSB has continuously expanded its process analytics portfolio over the past years in the area of single-use sensors to enable real-time, non-invasive measurement of critical process parameters such as pH, dissolved oxygen content, temperature, glucose, lactate and biomass. “Single-use sensors make our disposable bags even more intelligent,” comments Stefan Schlack, Senior Vice President of Marketing at SSB. “They deliver real-time information about the progress of cell culture processes and help biopharmaceutical customers to understand their processes even better and further optimize them – a decisive competitive advantage.“
In-line biomass sensors enable precise and reproducible information to be obtained on the progress of a fermentation process, without having to take samples and analyze these in the laboratory. As a result, cells are not unnecessarily exposed to stress caused by manual sampling and contamination risks are eliminated. In conjunction with SSB‘s existing PAT and software solutions, biomass sensors represent high-performance tools for modeling and optimizing biopharmaceutical development and manufacturing processes, as well as for further accelerating development times. Dr. John Carvell, Sales and Marketing Director at Aber Instruments, is pleased about collaborating with SSB: “Based on SSB’s global sales and distribution network, we can make our technology accessible to an even wider group of customers. SSB has in-depth expertise in single-use technology and is thoroughly versed in bioprocesses. Together with our profound knowledge of in-line biomass measurement, both companies stand to benefit from the joint development of new sensors.”
A profile of Sartorius Stedim Biotech
Sartorius Stedim Biotech is a leading provider of cutting-edge equipment and services for the development, quality assurance and production processes of the biopharmaceutical industry. Its integrated solutions covering fermentation, cell cultivation, filtration, purification, fluid management and lab technologies are supporting the biopharmaceutical industry around the world to develop and produce drugs safely, timely and economically. Sartorius Stedim Biotech focuses on single-use technologies and value-added services to meet the rapidly changing technology requirements of the industry it serves. Strongly rooted in the scientific community and closely allied with customers and technology partners, the company is dedicated to its philosophy of “turning science into solutions”. Headquartered in Aubagne, France, Sartorius Stedim Biotech is listed on the Eurolist of Euronext Paris. With its own manufacturing and R&D sites in Europe, North America and Asia and a global network of sales companies, Sartorius Stedim Biotech enjoys a worldwide presence. Its key manufacturing and R&D site is in Germany. The company employs around 3,000 people and in 2012 earned sales revenue of 544 million euros according to preliminary figures.
A profile of Aber Instruments
Based on research activities at the University of Aberystwyth (WALES,UK) and the Centre for Alternative Technology (WALES, UK) Aber Instruments was founded in 1988. The company invented and patented a unique method for measuring live biomass based on radio-frequency impedance. Within 3 years the first systems were sold to major biopharma and brewing companies and today, Aber Instruments is the global leader in on-line biomass measurement. The company in 2012 became an employee owned company. The Aber Instruments manufacturing facility is based in Aberystwyth in West Wales and the company is an ISO 14001 and 9001 registered firm. The instruments are backed by a world class support team and a highly trained and motivated international distributor network in Europe, America and Asia.
Contact for Sartorius Stedim Biotech
Karin Kleist
Group Corporate Communications
+49 (0)551.308.3615
karin.kleist@sartorius.com
Contact for Aber Instruments
Dr. John Carvell
Sales and Marketing Director
Aber Instruments Ltd
+44 (0) 1970 636303
johnc@aberinstruments.com
