CHO K1 Cell Culture Process Intensification For Enhanced Production Of IgG mAbs

Growing demand for higher biologics yields is driving manufacturers to make better use of existing capacity. Process intensification offers a practical solution, enabling the same or greater output within the same timeframe using fewer or smaller batches. In cell culture, intensification strategies may include adding perfusion during seed or production stages or optimizing media and feeds to support higher cell densities than traditional fed-batch processes allow.

Although perfusion can improve productivity, it requires specialized equipment such as tangential flow (TF) or alternating tangential flow (ATF) systems, along with additional training and increased operational costs. Facility constraints may also limit installation, making perfusion impractical or cost-prohibitive for sites designed around fed-batch processing.

An alternative approach focuses on modifying media and feed strategies to achieve higher cell growth and productivity within existing infrastructure. This method captures many of the benefits of perfusion without the added expense of new equipment, facility upgrades, or retraining.

In these studies, seed train intensification enabled higher production seeding densities, followed by designed experiments evaluating production parameters under intensified conditions. Results demonstrated significant gains in growth and yield while maintaining comparable product quality, and harvest assessments confirmed the feasibility at the manufacturing scale.