Celltrion Unveils Proprietary Cell Line Platform 'Hi-Cho'

Celltrion announced on the 15th that it unveiled for the first time its cell line development platform, HI-CHO CLD, which can enhance the efficiency of biopharmaceutical development and production, at the Thermo Fisher Scientific Conference held on the same day.

At this event, Celltrion presented the unique advantages of its newly developed cell line development platform, HI-CHO CLD, under the theme "High-Performance Cell Line Development using HI-CHO," as well as future plans for utilizing the platform.

A cell line refers to a "cell aggregate" that enables continuous proliferation of cells. It plays a role in producing recombinant antibody proteins, which are the raw materials for therapeutics. HI-CHO CLD is a cell line development platform independently developed by Celltrion, composed of a new Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) host cell line and a proprietary expression vector. It is explained that this platform consolidates Celltrion’s accumulated cell line development capabilities and know-how gained through various biosimilar projects.

The HI-CHO CLD platform technology was designed to reduce development time compared to existing technologies while ensuring excellent quality, high productivity, and production stability of antibody drugs. In particular, the cell lines developed based on Celltrion’s accumulated antibody development technology were confirmed to have faster cell growth rates and higher viable cell densities after culture than other commercial host cells.

Celltrion explained that applying the HI-CHO CLD platform technology to the cell line development of its biosimilar and new drug pipelines resulted in superior productivity and production stability compared to previous methods. Having developed the technology independently, Celltrion has secured exclusive rights to it and is registering trademarks for the platform in the United States, Europe, and the United Kingdom, while also filing patents related to the technology.

Celltrion plans to utilize the HI-CHO CLD platform technology not only for the development and production of its own products but also for future contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) services. The high productivity and rapid development speed of the HI-CHO CLD platform technology are expected to be significant incentives for CDMO clients.

A Celltrion representative stated, “With the independently developed host cells and the know-how of cell line development completed as a platform technology, the efficiency of antibody drug development and production is expected to be maximized. Through the HI-CHO CLD platform technology, Celltrion will strengthen its position as a ‘house of antibodies’ and do its best to provide high-quality biopharmaceuticals to more patients.”