COVID-19 diagnostics supplier ramps up production with help of Cytiva’s Testa Center in Sweden
- Solis BioDyne, Estonian manufacturer of PCR/qPCR reagents to analyze DNA from humans and animals, scaled up production and purification methods in five weeks at Testa Center
- As a result of the time at Testa Center, Solis BioDyne discovered new methods for growing cells, harvesting and purifying protein
- Solis BioDyne plans to implement changes in its own manufacturing processes to deliver increased supply to its customers
April, 21, 2021
Solis BioDyne is one of the many life sciences companies that have experienced a dramatic increase in demand during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a manufacturer of molecular biology applications, including reagents to analyze DNA from humans and therefore part of COVID-19 testing, Solis BioDyne turned to Cytiva to support production ramp-up.
During a five-week stint at Testa Center in Uppsala, Sweden, Solis BioDyne practiced and learned how to manufacture greater quantities with a more efficient process. Testa Center, partly funded by the Swedish government and operated by Cytiva as a non-profit, offers non-cGMP manufacturing lab space for innovators to run experiments at scale.
Angela Vaasa, COO, Solis BioDyne, says: “We were accustomed to managing our own production lines. However, in February 2020, this became unrealistic with increased needs due to the pandemic. We were already using chromatography resins from Cytiva, so we asked for advice on how to scale up our production.”
From Estonia to Sweden
Solis BioDyne is based in Tartu, Estonia. Arrangements were made to travel to Sweden with safety procedures in place. Angela says she could easily trust the environment at Testa Center. “The team at Testa Center had all the right COVID precautions. It was important to be there in person. We’ve seen innovative, user-friendly equipment and machines there. Since it’s part of Cytiva, we know that we’dbe using the latest, best solutions for purification and production. We gained a lot of knowledge in both upstream and downstream processes, and how to grow cells in bigger vessels, how to produce and purify [protein] better,” she says.
Testa Center’s facility provides high-quality, latest-model lab equipment from Cytiva. Using different sizes of chromatography systems and bioreactors, the team found methods to streamline processes and get more out of existing production. The possibility of testing in a 50-liter bioreactor that is quite close to an industrial scale also provided valuable insights.
Lotta Ljungqvist, CEO Testa Center, says: “Working in partnership with Solis BioDyne is right in line with our purpose at Testa Center. Researchers have access to both equipment and expertise to drive their biological production process from the lab bench scale to industrial pilot scale. It was exciting to watch this team since they are in the middle of the fight against COVID which of course is highly motivating; but also, the team showed great willingness to learn and grow.”
The enzyme the team scaled up is a ribonuclease inhibitor, part of the COVID RT-PCR tests. But there are different products in the Solis BioDyne portfolio that will benefit from the work done by the team in Uppsala. Angela says: “What we learned during our stay at Testa Center will also help us develop our products in the future.”
Scaling up at Testa Center
How Testa Center helped an innovator scale up
Scaling up RNase Inhibitor
Read more about Testa Center here.
About Solis BioDyne
Solis BioDyne provides and manufactures molecular biology solutions to help scientists in solving their greatest challenges. DNA polymerases, PCR Master Mixes, qPCR Mixes and reverse transcription reagents are highly valued across the globe. Solis BioDyne uses unique genetic modification within all products to make them stable at room temperature for 30 days, to provide more sustainable and cost-effective solutions.
About Cytiva
Cytiva is a global life sciences leader with more than 7,000 associates across 40 countries dedicated to advancing and accelerating therapeutics. As a trusted partner to customers that range in scale and scope, Cytiva brings speed, efficiency and capacity to research and manufacturing workflows, enabling the development, manufacture and delivery of transformative medicines to patients.
About Testa Center
Testa Center is operated as a non-profit company, owned by Cytiva and located on the site in Uppsala, Sweden. The center offers businesses and academia globally a modern, pilot-scale testbed for projects and education in production of biological products e.g. monoclonal antibodies, peptides, protein, vaccine and viral vectors (non-GMP, up to Bio-safety level 2 and 500 liter).
Testa Center is a major initiative between the Swedish government and Cytiva to secure the growth of life science industry and its manufacturing capabilities. The main objective for Testa Center is to bridge the gap from discovery to industrialization.