Sartorius Stedim Biotech and SAFC Biosciences, a business segment of SAFC and member of the Sigma-Aldrich group, both leading suppliers to the biopharmaceutical industry, announced the signing of a global partnership agreement that combines Sartorius Stedim Biotech's (SSB) expertise in filtration and liquid handling systems with SAFC Biosciences' proficiency in development and manufacturing of cell culture media and downstream purification products. The alliance is expected to provide more robust and comprehensive solutions to biopharmaceutical manufacturers.

The companies will combine their expertise in generating application data on filter and mixing performance with critical purification buffers and cell culture media. Similarly, extractable and leachable data will be generated with buffers and media, and filters and biobag combinations.

In addition, SAFC expects to utilize SSB technology for storage and mixing of cell culture media to optimize its fluid/powder handling systems. According to the agreement, each company will offer its products with the assistance and support of its partner, working together to better serve customers in solution creation, validation support, process improvement, technical support and problem solving. Additionally, the strength of the partnership's combined technical resources will create a larger range of integrated manufacturing solutions and a wider array of options for biopharmaceutical manufacturing customers.

Reinhard Vogt, executive vice president and board member of Sartorius Stedim Biotech acknowledges the agreement as an essential milestone in expanding the full potential of single-use technologies for the benefit of the biopharmaceutical industry. "This additional capability is instrumental for offering fully integrated cell culture media storage and mixing solutions. For customers, this partnership will yield a powerful combination of fluid management and liquid/powder systems and help them to enhance the efficiency of their cell culture processes. With this agreement, we are moving one step closer to the reality of a "totally disposable factory" with integrated technologies and control systems."

Archie Cullen, SAFC vice president global sales, explained the benefits for SAFC: "Sartorius Stedim Biotech offers SAFC Biosciences the opportunity to partner with a market leader in process and single-use technologies development, and will enable us to provide integrated, single-use systems to the global biopharmaceutical cell culture community. This agreement enhances our position as the cell culture partner with the widest range of highly customized products and services. It further demonstrates that our customer intimacy approach helps us lead as the biopharmaceutical industry's "responsive expert".

Sartorius Stedim Biotech is a leading provider of cutting-edge equipment and services for the development, quality assurance and production processes of the biopharmaceutical industry.

SAFC Biosciences is a leading provider of cell culture materials and development services for upstream and downstream processes in the biopharmaceutical industry.