Advancing Regional Polio Vaccine Production With Fixed-Bed Bioreactor Technology

Batavia Biosciences, a leading contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), has pioneered a novel upstream bioprocessing method to enhance regional polio vaccine production. This advancement, detailed in the journal Vaccine, leverages the HIP-Vax platform using a novel fixed-bed bioreactor technology to streamline vaccine manufacturing while reducing biosafety risks and lowering production footprint.

Polio vaccine production presents unique challenges, requiring biosafety level 3 (BSL-3) laboratory, use of three different strains. Current manufacturing methods often struggle with scalability and cost-efficiency, limiting equitable vaccine access. In response, Batavia Biosciences developed a platform (HIP-Vax) that integrates a unique structured fixed-bed bioreactor with tangential flow filtration (TFF), significantly improving production efficiency while maintaining high yields. Polio served as an initial proof of concept to demonstrate that the platform technology can be used for a broad range of vaccines, including inactivated vaccines, in the context of pandemic preparedness.

Ahd Hamidi, Strategic Partnership Director at Batavia Biosciences and first author of the study: “”Innovation and access to technology are key to achieving true vaccine equity. By facilitating a sufficient supply of polio vaccines, we provide the essential tools needed to eradicate polio and make life-saving vaccines accessible to all, regardless of geography or economic status.”

The newly developed process optimizes the cultivation of Sabin poliovirus strains in a contained microfacility, offering a cost-effective and flexible manufacturing solution. The use of scale-X bioreactor technology, from Univercells Technologies ensures efficient virus production while minimizing resource consumption, making it an ideal approach for both endemic and pandemic preparedness.

This study reinforces Batavia Biosciences’ commitment to advancing vaccine development and manufacturing. Through ongoing research and strategic partnerships, the company continues to develop innovative solutions that support global health, ensuring the availability of safe and affordable vaccines worldwide. This project, funded by the Gates Foundation, underscores the global effort to eradicate polio and improve vaccine accessibility in regions that need it most.

About The Study
“Sabin inactivated polio vaccine upstream process development using fixed-bed bioreactor technology” by Ahd Hamidi, et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2025.126950 as published in Vaccine, by Elsevier.

About Vaccine
Vaccine is the pre-eminent journal in the field of vaccinology. It is the official journal of The Japanese Society for Vaccinology and is published by Elsevier.

For more information, visit https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine.