Dewcell demonstrates world’s first 50-liter bioreactor production of artificial platelets
- dewcellbio
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
Two 50-liter bioreactors to be installed at Anyang plant in H1 to support mass production
[by Kang, In Hyo] Dewcell, a South Korea–based company developing artificial platelet technologies, announced on January 30 that it has successfully produced artificial platelets using a 50-liter bioreactor for the first time globally.
The company had established an artificial platelet manufacturing process employing a 50-liter bioreactor at its corporate research institute at the end of last year. Building on this platform, Dewcell has now demonstrated large-scale production of artificial platelets. The achievement marks a significant step forward, as it moves beyond small-scale culture systems and validates the feasibility of scale-up for clinical development and future commercialization.
Dewcell also plans to install two additional 50-liter bioreactors from Sartorius, a global bioprocessing equipment provider, at its Anyang manufacturing site within the first half of this year. Using the production technology established at its research institute, the company aims to initiate full-scale mass production.
Establishing a scalable manufacturing process remains one of the biggest hurdles to commercialization in the artificial platelet field. Japan-based Megakaryon, a key competitor, was the first to develop induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived artificial platelets and demonstrated safety in a Phase 1 clinical trial by producing clinical samples using four 10-liter bioreactors.
Since then, Megakaryon has continued to work on process scale-up and recently announced ongoing process development using a 45-liter bioreactor. In contrast, Dewcell has made scalable manufacturing a core strategic focus since its inception, prioritizing process development to overcome commercialization barriers at an early stage.
“The successful production of artificial platelets in a 50-liter bioreactor represents a critical milestone for the clinical application and commercialization of artificial platelet technology,” a Dewcell official said. “By securing a mass-production process early, we expect to further accelerate R&D efforts for therapeutics and biomaterials based on artificial platelets.”
Industry observers view Dewcell’s achievement as a major advance toward the commercialization of proprietary artificial platelet production technologies. As artificial platelets are increasingly regarded as a high-growth segment within the global biopharmaceutical sector, Dewcell’s manufacturing capabilities are expected to have a positive ripple effect on South Korea’s regenerative medicine industry.
