Contract Services

KAM Biotechnology offers a complete range of services on a confidential basis. Project proposals and business protocols are developed rapidly and focused on your needs.

KAM project managers work together with your team, and provide regular progress reports. Confidentiality is strictly maintained. Client team members are invited to KAM during project work to directly participate in activities for the purposes of training and technology transfer.

Our customers range from small start-up companies to well-established corporations.

On this page you will find more information about:

Fermentation Plant

KAM Biotechnology's state-of-the-art Fermentation Pilot Plant focuses on developing new products to meet the diverse needs of each client. The branch develops protocols for process transfer from the laboratory to commercial production. Flexible scheduling and the development of robust and scalable fermentation strategies will maximize product yields. The Fermentation Pilot Plant offers:

  • contract research and development in bioprocess technologies
  • scale-up from bench-top to 1000 L
  • quality control
  • client/staff participation and training
  • a complete range of business arrangement options for service, on a confidential basis

KAM Fermentation Plant

Fermentation Facilities

Biostat C-15 fermenter (B. Braun Biotech) with Micro-DCU controller

  • contract research and development in bioprocess technologies
  • scale-up from bench-top to 1000 L
  • pH, temperature and stirrer monitoring and control
  • pO2 monitoring and control (cascade of stirrer, air flow and O2 or N2 supplement)
  • level controlled or time profiled fed-batch operations
  • re-sterilizable sample, harvest and addition valves

 

1 Biostat E-15 fermenter (B. Braun Biotech) with DCU3 controller

  • in-situ sterilizable vessel with 10 L working volume
  • membrane key-pad screen user interface with password security
  • pH, temperature and stirrer monitoring and control
  • pO2 monitoring and control (cascade of stirrer, air flow and O2 or N2 supplement)
  • level controlled or time profiled fed-batch operations
  • re-sterilizable sample, harvest and addition valves

Biostat E-15 fermenter

 

1 Bioflo 5000 Mobile Pilot Plant fermenter

  • in-situ sterilizable vessel with 30-90 L working volume
  • Fluorescent display screen capable of displaying both set point and current values
  • pH, temperature and stirrer monitoring and control
  • pO2 monitoring and control (cascade of stirrer, air flow and O2 or N2 supplement)
  • level controlled or time profiled fed-batch operations
  • re-sterilizable sample, harvest and addition valves

Bioflo 5000 Mobile Pilot Plant fermenter

 

1 Custom 80 L skid-mounted fermenter (W.H.E. Bio-Systems Inc.) with semi-automated systems

  • in-situ sterilizable vessel with 20-60 L working volume
  • Allen-Bradley SLC 5104 programmable logic controller (PLC) controls temperature, pressure, dissolved oxygen, pH and agitation speed
  • controls the introduction of air, oxygen and ammonia gases as well as the addition of liquid anti-foam, nutrients and acids
  • Cleaned-In-Place (CIP) and Steamed-In-Place (SIP) functions are under PLC control
  • A panel view 900 operation interface to allow CIP, SIP, start, and stop process functions as well as to make set-point and parameters changes

Custom 80 L skid-mounted fermenter

 

2 Custom 500 L skid-mounted fermenter (W.H.E. Bio-Systems Inc.) with semi-automated systems

  • in-situ sterilizable vessel with 125-375 L working volume
  • Allen-Bradley SLC 5104 programmable logic controller (PLC) controls temperature, pressure, dissolved oxygen, pH and agitation speed controls the introduction of air, oxygen and ammonia gases as well as the addition of liquid anti-foam, nutrients and acids
  • Cleaned-In-Place (CIP) and Steamed-In-Place (SIP) functions are under PLC control
  • A panel view 900 operation interface to allow CIP, SIP, start, and stop process functions as well as to make set-point and parameters changes

Custom 500 L skid-mounted fermenter

 

1 Custom 1000 L fermenter (B. Braun Biotech) with DCU3 controller

  • in-situ sterilizable with 190 to 750 L working volume
  • pH, temperature and stirrer monitoring and control
  • pO2 monitoring and air flow control
  • level controlled
  • re-sterilizable sample, harvest and addition valves
Custom 750 L fermenter

 

3 Custom 20 L bioreactors

  • in-situ sterilizable with 14 L working volume
  • pH, temperature and stirrer monitoring and control
  • pO2 monitoring and air flow control
  • level controlled
  • re-sterilizable sample, harvest and addition valves

Custom 750 L fermenter



 

1 Custom 250 L bioreactors

  • in-situ sterilizable with 60-190 L working volume
  • pH, temperature and stirrer monitoring and control
  • pO2 monitoring and air flow control
  • level controlled
  • re-sterilizable sample, harvest and addition valves


 

3 Custom 2000 L bioreactors

  • in-situ sterilizable with 500-1500 L working volume
  • pH, temperature and stirrer monitoring and control
  • pO2 monitoring and air flow control
  • level controlled
  • re-sterilizable sample, harvest and addition valves
Custom 750 L fermenter

Down Stream Processing

  • Cassette cross flow filtration skid (Sartorius Sartocon II)
    • cell concentration (MF) or purification (UF)
    • holds 1 to 10 cassettes (0.6 m2 per cassette)
  • Cassette cross flow bench-top filtration (Sartorius Sartocon Slice)
    • cell concentration (MF) or purification (UF), scale-up studies
    • holds 1 to 3 slice cassettes (0.1 m2 per cassette)
  • High speed continuous feed centrifuge (Heraeus Contifuge 17RS)
    • collects up to 600 g of wet paste per batch
    • feed rate approximately 500 ml/min depending on material
Down Stream Processing

Support Equipment

  • Utility drop panels for connection of temporary equipment
  • Biological safety cabinet Class II/Type B3
  • 1 x 200 L (jacketed) stainless steel mixing tanks
  • 2 x 15 L, 2 x 100 L stainless steel, sterilizable addition/product tanks
  • Peristaltic Pumps (Masterflex)
Support Equipment

Central Fermenter Monitoring and Control System

  • MFCS/win Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (B. Braun Biotech)
  • Provides expanded control and monitoring capabilities in addition to local fermenter controllers
  • Password protected access
  • Reporting and plotting of fermentation batch results
Central Fermenter Monitoring and Control System

Process

  • Filter integrity testing of cartridge and cross flow media (Sartorius Sartocheck 3)
  • Off-gas analysis of all fermenters by multi-port mass spectrometer (ABB Extrel) with data link to MFCS/win fermenter software
  • Freeze drier with vial stoppering (FTS Dura-Dry)

Process

Laboratory

  • High Pressure Liquid Chromatography with photodiode array and Millenium 32 chromatography manager software (Waters) with light scattering mass detector (Polymer Laboratories PL-ELS 1000)
  • Spectrophotometer (Unicam UV300) with Vision32 software
  • Viscometer (Haake VT500) with Rheowin software
  • Glucose analyzer (YSI 2700) with sample turntable
  • pH / conductivity meter (Orion 550A)
  • Microscope (Zeiss Axiolab) - high field, dark-field, phase contrast, fluorescence phosphorescence with Nikon 990 digital camera
  • Oven (VWR 1370GM) 20