SAN DIEGO -- Leading contract development and manufacturing organization Samsung Biologics has introduced a new contract development platform with a customized strategy to enhance its competitive edge in the market.

At the 2024 Bio International Convention's opening event on Monday, Samsung Biologics introduced S-Tensify, its new platform designed to support the development of high-concentration biopharmaceuticals through advanced culture technology.

"Sixth year into the CDO business, we believe the essence lies in providing seamless service to our clients, which includes accelerated timelines, advanced technology and tailored support," said Min Ho-sung, executive vice president of Samsung Biologics' CDO Center. "We aim to reduce the risks associated with developing biopharmaceuticals and accelerate market entry by offering the cultivation methods and services our customers need."

The concept of S-Tensify is based on N-1 Perfusion, a technology initially implemented for contract manufacturing in 2019, now expanded for contract development.

N-1 Perfusion is a technology that simultaneously performs cell culture and waste removal through perfusion culture at the N-1 stage, achieving high-concentration cell culture. With this technology, the firm has overcome the limitations of existing methods, which struggled to significantly increase cell concentration due to waste accumulation in the incubator.

By increasing the inoculation cell density at the stage just before the final cell culture (N-1) by an average of 30 times, productivity can be substantially boosted during the final cell culture stage.

Samsung Biologics anticipates that S-Tensify will enhance its contract development services by transitioning from traditional Fed-Batch culture methods to high-concentration culture methods with improved productivity.

Additionally, Samsung Biologics also launched a rebranded service to boost more proactive contract development marketing activities.

At Bio USA, Samsung Biologics unveiled SelecTailor, a contract development service offering customized development chemistry packages tailored to customers' material characteristics and development strategies. The service rebrands the firm's Customized CMC Solution, which was introduced in August 2023.

Through SelecTailor, Samsung Biologics provides bespoke services based on customers' compound characteristics and proposes development strategies to support successful new drug development.

Samsung Biologics began its contract development business in 2018 and has provided comprehensive solutions for everything from cell line development to investigational new drug application and commercial production. The company plans to expand its platform development and service areas to strengthen its contract development competitiveness.

By the first quarter of this year, Samsung Biologics had signed over 116 development contracts, including the latest for antibody-drug conjugate development with LigaChem Biosciences in February.

By Kim Hae-yeon

Korea Herald correspondent