The bioprocessing industry plays a crucial role in delivering life-saving biopharmaceuticals and biotherapeutics to patients worldwide. However, oxidative stress regularly reduces the yield of pharmaceuticals and therapeutics produced via bioprocessing by about 10-15%, making them unnecessarily expensive to manufacture. Oxidative Stress costs bioprocessing companies an estimated $40B per year and can be triggered by a number of factors, including:
- Bioreactor oxygen inhomogeneity
- Rich cell culture media
- Waste accumulation
- Reactor conditions
Current mitigation methods, including antioxidant supplementation and cell reengineering, have significant limitations and standard single-use bioprocessing bags do not actively tackle oxidative stress.
The solution: Xheme’s proprietary XMA additives and Xheme polymer composite single-use bioreactor walls act like sponges that absorb free radicals and peroxides from oxidatively stressed cells, enabling controlled oxygen generation and significantly increasing cell survival and growth.
In testing conducted by by the University of Albany, UMass Lowell Chemical Engineering, Institute for Applied Life Sciences’ Cell Culture Core Facility at UMASS Amherst, and O2M Technologies and in our studies, the XMA additives demonstrated superior performance compared to current bioprocessing antioxidants — improving bioprocessing cell viability significantly. The improved cell viability was demonstrated with different types of CHO cells, HEK 293 Cells, and Jurkat Cells.
Furthermore, the studies showed that XMA is not toxic in large doses. Further testing is underway to determine potential toxicity, if any, at higher concentrations.
Advancing Drug Discovery and Cell Therapies
XMAs and Xheme polymer composite single-use bioreactors hold great promise in accelerating drug discovery while also reducing animal testing, aligning with the global trend of seeking alternatives to animal models. The use of 3-D organoids has gained traction in drug development, but oxidative stress and inadequate oxygenation of interior cells pose significant challenges to widespread adoption.
By adding XMA to tissue culture equipment or directly into the growth matrix, or by using Xheme polymer composite single-use containers, oxidative stress can be eliminated, and the interior cells can be adequately oxygenated. This could revolutionize the soon-to-be $5.6 billion 3-D organoid industry and expedite the development of safer and more effective therapies.