At the recent themed salon “Linking Guangdong, Gathering Talent in Huangpu, Discussing Bioprocess Solutions”, Dr. Liang Qianhui, Director of Cell Line and Upstream Process Development at Canton Biologics, delivered an insightful presentation titled “Key Strategies for Building a CHO Cell Expression Platform and Enhancing Expression Levels of Different Protein Types”.|

The salon was jointly organized by Merck China and BioValley, focusing on cutting‑edge process technologies in the fields of protein drugs and ADCs, attracting wide attention from industry experts, scholars, and corporate representatives.

01 World‑Class Cell Line Development Platform

In her presentation, Dr. Liang introduced that Canton Biologics, as a leading CDMO service provider in China, has established a globally competitive cell line development platform. This platform features a full series of commercially licensed CHO cells covering multiple host systems, capable of meeting diverse project needs from early R&D to commercial production.

Dr. Liang systematically elaborated on Canton Biologics’ technical expertise and practical experience in CHO cell line development, vector optimization, media customization, and process scale‑up from three dimensions: host cells, vector systems, and culture processes.

• Canton Biologics has built a full‑spectrum CHO platform covering multiple host systems such as CHOzen®, CHOFlow®, CHO GSKO, and CHOExpress®, all with complete commercial licensing.

• Expression levels reach up to 10 g/L, with stable passage performance and direct compatibility with serum‑free media.

• The CHOFlow® technology, through knockout of the fucosyltransferase gene, produces antibodies lacking core fucose, enhancing ADCC activity by more than 10‑fold, significantly improving efficacy and clinical value.

This platform provides robust support for the development of various protein molecule types, fully demonstrating Canton Biologics’ technical depth.

02 The Ultimate Solution for Difficult‑to‑Express Proteins

Addressing a well‑recognized industry bottleneck, Dr. Liang highlighted Canton Biologics’ DTEasy platform for difficult‑to‑express proteins:

• By combining molecular engineering, proprietary vectors, host cell optimization, and media optimization, expression levels can be increased by 100%–400%.

• Case examples: a proprietary IgM vector achieved high‑yield, impurity‑free pentamer expression; complex molecules such as viral proteins and fusion proteins reached gram‑level expression.

• Effectively solves challenges such as aggregation, difficult impurity removal, and low yields – making the “difficult” no longer difficult.

In addition, the introduction of automation platforms greatly ensures process stability and controllability, providing a solid guarantee for high‑quality drug development.

03 Dual Drive: Process and Equipment

Dr. Liang also highlighted Canton Biologics’ powerful process development platform:

• The CBoost™ enhanced process platform significantly increases protein yield and purity.

• The orbital‑shaking bioreactor is gentler and more stable than traditional stirred‑tank reactors, reducing shear force and contamination risk, making it particularly suitable for stem cells, CAR‑T cells, and difficult‑to‑express proteins.

These innovations make Canton Biologics’ process development and manufacturing more stable and controllable.

04 Integrated Services and Industry Contribution

As an internationally operating biologics CDMO, Canton Biologics offers end‑to‑end solutions from DNA to IND in just 7–12 months, covering a full chain of scales from 3 L to 2000 L – truly bridging the gap from laboratory to commercialization. To date, Canton Biologics has served over 100 global clients, completed more than 400 projects, and supported over 30 IND filings and more than 10 commercial projects.

In this presentation, Dr. Liang not only showcased Canton Biologics’ technical strength in building a CHO cell expression platform but also demonstrated how the company, as a leading domestic CDMO, leverages technological innovation and professional services to help partners accelerate drug development and bring more high‑quality biologics to market faster, benefiting patients worldwide.

Looking ahead, Canton Biologics will continue to uphold its values of reliability, efficiency, and innovation, working with industry partners to drive breakthroughs in biopharmaceutical process technology and industrial upgrading, so that more innovative therapies can benefit human health as soon as possible.