BioWorld International Correspondent

Start-up company Cellca GmbH secured €8.6 million (US$11 million) to fund its development of mammalian cell culture process technologies.

The company will use the cash for its laboratory setup, but it will have enough left over to finance its running costs for the next two years. "We are actually financed through until break-even point," CEO and Founder Aziz Cayli told BioWorld International.

Cellca, of Laupheim, Germany, is specializing in contract process development work for companies engaged in biologics manufacturing. Its initial focus is on therapeutic antibody production.

Cayli identified three goals. Firstly, it seeks to develop highly scaleable processes that do not require any process changes when scaling from production volumes of several liters right up to full-scale 15,000-liter fermentation tanks.

Secondly, it aims to develop high-titer production processes, with antibody concentrations exceeding 2 g per liter. Thirdly, it aims to achieve these performance improvements within accelerated timelines, to ensure faster process development than is currently available.

Cayli previously held scientific posts at the diagnostics division of F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., of Basel, Switzerland, and at Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, of Ingelheim, Germany. Cellca has several academic partnerships, and also has entered an agreement with Rentschler Biotech GmbH, also of Laupheim, which gives it access to that firm's production facilities.

Cellca does not plan to develop its own manufacturing capability.

"We define ourselves as a technology company, not a production company," Cayli said.

It is engaged in developing cell culture technologies that will be ready for introduction about three years from now. They include a rapid method for identifying stable and high-yielding clones. It also is putting in place process development capabilities that match current state of the art, Cayli said, and it already is contacting potential customers.

A regional consortium of investors participated in the funding. A number of German agencies were involved in brokering the transaction and the partnership including Biopro Baden-Württemberg GmbH, of Stuttgart; IHK Ulm, of Ulm; and BioRegionUlm, also of Ulm.