Singapore, March 26, 2008: Invitrogen, a provider of essential life science technologies for research, production and diagnostics, has introduced GIBCO FoamAway Irradiated AOF (Animal Origin Free), a first of its kind sterile, ready-to-use, anti-foaming reagent that contains no components of human or animal origin. It is being offered in addition to the original FoamAway Irradiated released in June 2007.

 

In cell culture, proteinaceous foam is a symptom of the breakdown of proteins in solution. For processes where cell culture is used to produce proteins for biotherapeutics, diagnostics or other downstream uses, preventing foam formation means a higher yield of protein. In addition, foam in a bioreactor can trap cells, added supplements or other reagents, reducing batch efficiency. Foam also traps the proteins being produced in the culture, preventing their purification and reducing batch yields.

 

FoamAway Irradiated AOF eliminates proteinaceous foam in mammalian and microbial cell culture. Pre-diluted and sterilized through a validated gamma irradiation process, FoamAway Irradiated AOF can be quickly added to a foaming culture without spending time and effort preparing the reagent before adding to the bioreactor. It can be used to prevent foam before it forms and eliminate existing foam.

 

“Traditional anti-foaming reagents require costly and labor-intensive pre-processing before use in cell culture. In contrast, FoamAway saves time and expense and allows the customer to skip the often messy processing steps required with many existing anti-foaming reagents. It has the added advantage of being animal origin free, facilitating regulatory acceptance and eliminating the risk of introduction of animal-based agents that can cause problems in downstream applications. FoamAway Irradiated AOF demonstrates our commitment to improving the production workflow by providing products that are part of complete cell system solutions,” said Mr. Jeff Greenberg, vice president for bioproduction segment, Invitrogen. 

 

The release noted that for the convenience of the end users, FoamAway Irradiated AOF is pre-diluted to 3% concentration in water for injection and is packaged in versatile media bags that can connect sterilely to most common bioreactors. FoamAway Irradiated AOF is available in a 500ml bag for small-scale use and evaluation of performance without major expense and also in a 2.5L bag as an affordable method of bulk purchase for larger-scale usage.