DANBURY, Conn., June 24, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ATMI, Inc. (Nasdaq:ATMI), a global technology company and leader in single-use bioprocess solutions, announced today its iCELLis® fixed-bed bioreactor technology has been validated from bench scale to industrial scale for the production of human and animal vaccine, viral vectors and recombinant proteins. The system and process are now commercially available in two scalable platforms and boasts a new process capability featuring a biomass probe that automatically and continuously measures the density of cells growing in the bioreactor. Available platforms include the large scale iCELLis 500 and the scaled-down iCELLis nano. The platforms have been validated through extensive customer trials that include clinical applications and large scale commercial production of biosimilars and vaccines.
"The iCELLis platform is different than any other virus or recombinant protein production platform on the market," commented Senior Vice President and General Manager of ATMI LifeSciences Mario Phillips. "Current methods to support adherent cell processes, such as bioreactors with micro-beads, are extremely difficult to implement, can take several years of development time and can bring a great amount of risk. The iCELLis platform can potentially cut development to just one year, while achieving high production yields for a variety of applications."
The iCELLis 500 bioreactor and the scaled-down iCELLis nano version each contain a compact fixed-bed with medical grade carriers. This approach provides a large growth surface area in a relatively small volume. In fact, iCELLis bioreactor design provides up to 500m² in only 25 liters of fixed-bed.
Manufactured at ATMI's Hoegaarden, Belgium GMP cleanroom facility, the iCELLis platform is part of ATMI's innovative Integrity® line of single-use technologies, which includes single-use bioreactors, industry-leading mixers and integrity-tested vessels based on the company's Integrity TK8 film technology. The bioreactor was invented to simplify adherent cell growth from a process perspective and was designed to significantly reduce development timelines. Because the technology is easy-to-use, it also provides additional cost-saving benefits in labor, training and maintenance.
As a replacement technology for traditional roller bottles, cell factories and bioreactors filled with microbeads, the fixed-bed of the iCELLis systems is coupled with highly efficient and innovative media circulation and oxygenation. A built-in magnetic drive impeller evenly distributes and circulates media to ensure low shear stress and high cell viability. The cell culture medium flows through the fixed-bed from the bottom to the top. At the top, the medium falls as a thin film down the outer wall where it takes up the oxygen to maintain high KLa. All of these features enable the compact iCELLis system to achieve and maintain high cell densities that equal or exceed the productivity of much larger stirred-tank units.
"The iCELLis platform overcomes the limitations of traditional approaches," commented Director of Cell Culture Technologies for ATMI LifeSciences, Jose Castillo. "Based on initial customer engagements and successful validation studies we can confidently say that the platform minimizes the space needed to grow cells while also delivering significant time and cost savings while protecting the health of cell populations."
The iCELLis platform is backed by access to ATMI Laboratories and services located in Brussels, Belgium and Bloomington, Minnesota USA where application engineers and scientists support customer efforts. To learn more about iCELLis technology, please visit http://www.atmi-lifesciences.com or visit ATMI booth C7 at the upcoming 23rd Annual ESACT meeting from June 23rd to 26th at the Grand Palais in Lille, France.
About ATMI
ATMI, Inc. provides specialty semiconductor materials, and safe, high-purity materials handling and delivery technologies designed to increase process efficiencies for the global semiconductor, flat panel, and life sciences industries. For more information, please visit http://www.atmi.com.
About ATMI LifeSciences
ATMI LifeSciences is an acknowledged technology leader in the field of single-use bioprocess systems and consumables for the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industries. Its innovative, market-leading portfolio of custom-engineered, flexible packaging solutions, single-use storage systems, mixers and bioreactors is driving bioprocess efficiency and delivering value for biopharmaceutical companies around the world. For more information, please visit www.atmi-lifesciences.com.
ATMI, the ATMI logo, Integrity and iCELLis are trademarks, or registered trademarks, of Advanced Technology Materials, Inc., in the United States, other countries or both.
Forward Looking Statements
Statements contained herein that relate to ATMI's future performance, including, without limitation, statements with respect to ATMI's anticipated results of operations or level of business for 2013 or any other future period, are forward-looking statements within the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are based on current expectations only and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, including, but not limited to, changes in semiconductor and life sciences industry growth (including, without limitation, wafer starts) or ATMI's markets; competition, problems, or delays developing, commercializing, and delivering new products; customer-driven pricing pressure; potential loss of key customers; problems or delays in integrating acquired operations and businesses; uncertainty in the credit and financial markets; ability to protect ATMI's proprietary technology; and other factors described in ATMI's Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012 and other subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Such risks and uncertainties may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements. ATMI undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.