Automated clone screening system accelerates biologic drug discovery

Beckman Coulter Life Sciences, a global leader in laboratory automation and innovation and a part of Danaher Corporation, has unveiled the Cydem VT Automated Clone Screening System, a high-throughput microbioreactor platform designed to revolutionize automated top clone screening for biologic drug discovery.

The Cydem VT System significantly accelerates the biologic drug development process by reducing manual steps in Cell Line Development by up to 90% in a single experiment, while eliminating the need for many traditional screening steps. This reduction in labour-intensive processes significantly shortens time to market for monoclonal antibody-based therapeutics.

By providing early insights into cell growth and productivity, the Cydem VT System offers more reliable clones and optimised cultivation conditions that closely replicate biomanufacturing production. It is particularly suited for cell line development of Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cell lines used in monoclonal antibody production.

“Our Cydem VT System offers a breakthrough in expediting critical research therapies for diseases like autoimmune conditions and cancer,” said Dr Sebastian Hofzumahaus, Product Manager. “We understood the challenges of selecting productive clones and developed a solution that confidently identifies the best clones, streamlining the process and reducing the risk of poor clones. By providing earlier answers and improved cultivation conditions, the Cydem VT System accelerates the path to discovering the next medical breakthrough.”

Integrating Beckman Coulter Life Sciences’ trusted technologies, the system combines microbioreactor capabilities, liquid handling, antibody titre, and cell health measurements into a single advanced platform. It enables parallel pH-controlled, fed-batch cultivation and monitoring of up to 96 bioreactors with individual gassing. Automated operations offer at least three days of walk-away time, while online, non-invasive pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), and biomass measurements ensure precise control over critical cultivation parameters. On-deck determination of cell concentration, viability, and titre concentration enables confident selection of the best clones.

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