UVC Technology Inactivates Small Nonenveloped Viruses

Newly developed technology inactivates small nonenveloped viruses by ultraviolet C (UVC) irradiation.

Applications include virus inactivation of cell culture media, antibody solutions, and solutions containing recombinant proteins, as well as irradiation of vaccines and therapeutics produced from blood and plasma. Further areas of application, such as removal of Mycoplasma from bioreactor media, are being assessed.

Called UVivatec and developed by Bayer Technology Services (BTS; Leverkusen, Germany) the technology is ideal for highly efficient inactivation of small nonenveloped viruses (e.g., Parvoviruses). So far, no other virus inactivation method has been able to attain its clearance efficiency. The UVivatec technology is therefore especially suitable as an alternative or supplementary method for upstream and downstream processing.

Sartorius Stedim Biotech GmbH (Goettingen, Germany) and Bayer Technology Services have just signed an exclusive cooperation agreement on the manufacture and worldwide marketing of UVivatec products.

Safety in biopharmaceutic manufacturing processes is becoming increasingly important. Already during early clinical phases, the regulatory authorities for pharmaceutics have mandated that manufacturers provide at least two complementary technologies for virus clearance. By cooperating with BTS, Sartorius Stedim Biotech now has three different technological methods and thus an "orthogonal technology platform" for virus clearance: The Sartorius Virosart CPVproduct removes viruses by nanofiltration, Sartobind adsorbs viruses and UVivatec inactivates viruses by UVC irradiation. These three technologies are combinable with one another, thereby providing a very effective approach for removal of a broad spectrum of different viruses.

Dr. Klaus Sommer, who heads business management and is the senior vice president of Bayer Technology Services, said: "In our alliance, we see an especially promising approach for marketing UVivatec technology using the Sartorius Stedim Biotech platform. This cooperation gives us the opportunity to focus on extending our area of applications and on further developing our equipment technology."

In close collaboration with this cooperation agreement, Sartorius Stedim Biotech signed a purchase contract with the Belgian Red Cross (Brussels, Belgium) on patents to use UVC technology for blood fractionation and manufacture of biotech products.

Related Links:
Bayer Technology Services
Sartorius Stedim Biotech
Belgian Red Cross