WALTHAM, Mass. — Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. has introduced a new integrated cell line development platform designed to help biologics developers bring therapies to market faster while maintaining quality, regulatory compliance, and scalability.
The platform, built around the Gibco CHOvantage GS Cell Line Development Kit, is aimed at addressing growing industry pressure to shorten development timelines and control costs as demand rises for complex biologics and biosimilars used to treat cancer, autoimmune disorders, and rare diseases.
The company said the system enables researchers to generate high-performing Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell lines, achieving protein yields of at least 7 grams per liter in fed-batch cultures. It can establish stable cell pools in about four weeks and identify stable production clones within 14 weeks, helping streamline the transition from early development to commercial manufacturing.
“Biologics developers face increasing pressure to deliver therapies faster while managing cost, quality and regulatory complexity,” said Sara Henneman, vice president and general manager of Thermo Fisher Scientific’s cell culture and cell therapy business. “With the CHOvantage GS CLD Kit, we’re helping customers compress development timelines, increase confidence in quality and lower overall costs through a royalty-free, clinical-stage licensing model that helps minimize barriers to market. This platform reflects our commitment to simplifying and standardizing biologics development workflows from research through commercial production.”
The launch comes as global pipelines for protein-based therapeutics continue to expand, fueled in part by patent expirations that are accelerating development of lower-cost biosimilars. Manufacturers are increasingly seeking technologies that can deliver consistent, scalable production while meeting stricter regulatory expectations for product quality and comparability.
“The CHOvantage GS CLD Kit is our newest example of how we are advancing cell line productivity and process consistency across the biologics lifecycle,” said Andy Campbell, senior director of research and development at Thermo Fisher Scientific. “By integrating a transposon-based vector system with our Efficient-Pro media and feeds, we’re giving customers a reliable, high-quality, streamlined platform that helps to save time, reduces variability and supports scalability. Importantly, this harmonized workflow is designed to simplify tech transfer and enable a smoother transition from development to manufacturing.”
BioFactura, a developer and manufacturer of biosimilars and novel therapies, participated as a pre-launch testing partner. Lead Cell Line Development Scientist Carson Brackna said the system provided strong performance and ease of use.
“Combining transposon vectors and optimized media and feeds, the CHOvantage platform offered a robust, end-to-end cell line package while remaining user-friendly and yielding quality protein with high productivity on a tight schedule,” Brackna said.
Thermo Fisher said the platform also addresses cost concerns by offering research-use rights with purchase and eliminating royalties during the clinical stage. The company said its licensing model provides greater cost predictability and flexibility as developers move from research to full-scale production.
