SAFC Biosciences, Vivalis reach first milestone in collaboration

By E. Janene Geiss

Philadelphia, April 11 - SAFC Biosciences, a member of the Sigma-Aldrich Group, and Vivalis announced Tuesday the successful completion of the first stage of their ongoing collaboration with the launch of their EX-CELL Ebx platform, which includes EX-CELL Ebx viral growth and production media.

This media is designed exclusively to support Ebx cells, a chicken embryo-derived stem cell line, for growth and production of viral vaccines for therapeutic use, according to a company news release.

Under the research and development agreement, which began in 2004, SAFC Biosciences has developed and optimized media specifically for use with Vivalis' widely licensed Ebx cells in the commercial development of viral vaccines for clinical trials and recombinant protein production.

This serum-free media is designed exclusively to support high growth of Ebx cells and high productivity of viruses and viral constructs for production of vaccines for both therapeutic and prophylactic use, officials said.

The EX-CELL Ebx medium also will be used at Vivalis' contract manufacturing facility in Nantes, France, for cGMP production of vaccine lots for phase 1/2 clinical trials.

"The launch of the EX-CELL Ebx technology platform marks a major breakthrough in the commercial production of viral vaccines and recombinant proteins," Rod Kelley, president of SAFC Biosciences, said in the release.

Based in Lenexa, Kansas, SAFC Biosciences provides services for mammalian cell culture media development.

Vivalis is a Nantes, France, biopharmaceutical company that manufactures vaccines and proteins, and discovers drugs to prevent and treat viral diseases.

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