Single use bioreactors have become popular off-late as they meet the demands of the biopharma industry for reduced costs, increased competence, and greater flexibility. While conventional bioreactors work for some procedures, single-use bioreactors are the better choice for fast-growing markets in testing, manufacturing, and drug development.
Single-Use Bioprocessing Equipment
Traditional bioreactors are made of glass or steel. As opposed to, the vessels for SUBs are disposable plastic bags, installed into outer metal containers.
The vessel generally arrives pre-sterilized, with all spargers, impellers, and sensors already fitted. Most frequently, these bags are formulated from a -3-layer plastic foil. The outermost layer is of LPDE, offering mechanical constancy; the middle layer is formed from PVC or PVA, forming a gas barrier; and the inmost layer has sterilized PP or PVA.
While often, bioreactors are highly specialized to specific culture types at large scales. Single-use bioreactor require regulation of temperature, pH, pressure, and oxygen levels to uphold cell growth, though they vary in their applications and production approaches.
Bioreactors are put to use for producing biologics and biosimilars, antibodies, peptides, vaccines, and pharmaceuticals using animal or plant cells. Pharma applications most frequently grow CHO cells through biochemical reactions.
Advantages of Single- Use Bioreactors
Sterilization made Much Easier
Single-use bioreactors are pre-sterilized and can be used only once, and then disposed. Single-use systems in so doing minimalize any possibilities of cross contamination, which can totally ruin a batch. This also disregards the long amount of downtime, that is required for sterilizing reusable stainless-steel vessels.
Flexibility of the Highest Order
Conventional bioreactors have got a single design, limiting the features that can be worked in the experiment. On the other hand, there are more than a few types of single-use vessels obtainable, letting the process developer or scientists to choose the best design of the vessel for their process. Single-use likewise makes it easier to experiment with quite a lot of designs to optimize the procedure. In the end, this flexibility permits for simpler experimentation and scale-up meaning augmented yields and reduced costs.
Saving a Lot of Energy
Single-use systems come good at providing decreased consumption of energy, of water, and environmental footprint of the plant on the whole. Traditional systems need quite a lot of on-site infra, which in line needs more water as well as energy for cleaning and operation. According to an estimate biopharma production facility making use of SUFs could decrease their general consumption of energy and water 46% and carbon footprint by 35% as opposed to the conventional facilities.
Summing Up the Scene
Due to the growing number of collaborations among companies all over the world, increasing R&D activities and growing incidence of infectious and non-infectious diseases, the demand for single-use bioreactor is on the rise.
This trend will continue in the years to come as well, and the total value of the industry will reach USD 13,595.9 million by the end of this decade.
