(Yicai Global) June 30 -- China's BiBo Biopharma Engineering has built the world’s largest production line to make mammalian cell culture used in antibodies and vaccines.

BiBo's bioreactor of 30,000 liters, larger than the 20,000-liter reactors built by Swiss biotech giant Lonza, is expected to start mass-producing animal cells in vitro in September, The Paper reported today. The firm has received its first orders for the new capacity from a client in the United States, and at least another four American clients are negotiating with BiBo, Chairman Jiao Peng said.

The new facility in the Lingang Special Area of China Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone should cut the cost of cell culture production by 80 percent in comparison to the current 2,000-liter reactors popular in China to improve access to medicines, according to Jiao.

Founded in Boston in 2015, BiBo relocated its headquarters to Shanghai and began building its facilities in Lingang in 2020. Besides animal cells, the company focuses on gene therapy and microbial fermentation, according to its website.

With the new ultra-large bioreactor, BiBo aims to build a plant with an annual capacity of over one million liters of biologics in Lingang, the chairman added.

Editor: Emmi Laine