Unlocking Cell Therapy Potential: Dr. Yaron Silberberg’s Vision at CELLiST

Dr. Yaron Silberberg, Director at CELLiST Solution Center, is a distinguished expert in cell culture technologies and bioprocess development. With a robust background in biotechnology and life sciences, he leads the center's efforts in advancing innovative solutions for cell therapy and biologics production. Dr. Silberberg is known for his strategic vision in optimizing cell line development and scaling up manufacturing processes. His leadership in integrating advanced methodologies and fostering collaborative research has been pivotal in enhancing CELLiST's capabilities in delivering cutting-edge solutions to the biotech industry.

Mr. Ravindra: So today we have Dr. Yaron from Ajinomoto. He's the Solution Center Director. I think he has done a wonderful job in setting up the solution centers in India. Your most recent one is in Ahmedabad, right?

Dr. Yaron: Yeah, that's right.

Mr. Ravindra: So, welcome, Dr. Yaron, to Pharma Now.

Dr. Yaron: Thank you.

Mr. Ravindra: Today, we really wanted to understand more about Ajinomoto and the innovative work you're doing in media creation for cell culture. Can you tell us more about it?

Dr. Yaron: Okay, well, thank you for inviting me for the interview, first of all. At Ajinomoto, a huge company involved in many areas, our subsidiary CELLiST Korea specializes in cell culture media manufacturing, development, customization, and bioprocess optimization for our customers. We established our solution centers in Korea five or six years ago, followed by another one in Shanghai, China, two years ago. This will be our third solution center, which we call the CSC: Cellist Solution Center.

Mr. Ravindra: Okay.

Dr. Yaron: CELLiST is the name of our brand, our media. The solution center in India will open next month, in August, here in Ahmedabad. We have a fully equipped lab with cutting-edge equipment for bioprocessing, from bioreactors to downstream analysis and protein analysis—everything biopharma companies need to optimize cell culture media and processes. We aim to connect with many biopharma companies in India, as we have done in Korea, Japan, and the US. For example, we receive cell lines from our customers and then optimize our products for those cell lines to help them improve and scale up their processes.

Mr. Ravindra: Correct. Can we delve deeper into CELLiST as a brand? What exactly do you do and what are your products?

Dr. Yaron: Our product is cell culture media. It's a chemically defined media for mammalian cell lines, including CHO cell lines and HEK 293 cell lines, used for the production of biologics, vaccines, and gene therapy such as AAV. Our media covers various processes, including fed-batch and perfusion systems.

Mr. Ravindra: How does it help biopharma companies?

Dr. Yaron: For manufacturing biologics or biosimilars, you need nutrients for the cells. Our company leverages over 100 years of knowledge in amino acid production and science from Ajinomoto. This knowledge is applied to our product, which contains more than 60-70 components, including amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and metals. Finding the optimal composition and balance among these components is a complex task. We use traditional wet experiments (DOE) and cutting-edge techniques like AI, machine learning, and multi-omics mechanistic models to tailor our media specifically to our customers' cell lines. We also continuously improve our catalog products.

Mr. Ravindra: Correct. So you prioritize AI and ML for your product solutions?

Dr. Yaron: Definitely. These days, AI and machine learning are integral, even for upstream and media solutions.

Mr. Ravindra: According to you, how much can productivity be enhanced for biopharma companies?

Dr. Yaron: It's a good question. It depends on the cell line and the customer's pipeline. Most biologics and biosimilars, such as anti-cancer drugs and antibodies, rely heavily on productivity. Starting from less than 1 gram to 2 grams per liter of protein, we can double or even triple productivity using our tools. We have cases with some Japanese companies, like Chugai Pharmaceuticals and Daiichi Sankyo, where we've tripled productivity, essentially tripling profit.

Mr. Ravindra: Absolutely. That sounds wonderful, Yaron. You're now setting up a new lab in Ahmedabad. I'm excited to see it. I heard it's a state-of-the-art facility. What are your priorities in India for this lab?

Dr. Yaron: First, I want to credit our local collaborators and colleagues working hard to establish the lab. We've hired several scientists and I'm here for a few months to assist in setting it up. This lab will be fully equipped and staffed by professionals who will work closely with our customers. We aim to produce specific products for them and stay involved for the long term, helping them scale up and troubleshoot any process issues.

Mr. Ravindra: What opportunities do you see in the Indian market for CELLiST? What are your views on the current opportunities?

Dr. Yaron: The market in India is growing exponentially, unlike in America and Europe. Many biopharma and CDMO companies are evolving rapidly here. There is significant production, manufacturing, and R&D happening in India, pushing forward both development and manufacturing.

Mr. Ravindra: Nice. Very nice. What new innovations can we expect from you and CELLiST?

Dr. Yaron: We are developing new products for different modalities, including gene therapy-specific media for high productivity of AAV gene therapy production and products for perfusion systems. We're also focusing on machine learning and mechanistic models to predict optimal culture conditions and media compositions, aiming to maximize productivity and reduce time to market.

Mr. Ravindra: That's really wonderful, Dr. Yaron. I wish you the best of luck with your initiatives in India. It was great chatting with you and understanding the priorities of CELLiST. Thank you for joining us on Pharma Now.

Dr. Yaron: Thank you. Nice to meet you too.