Los Angeles Convention Center
Los Angeles, CA
May 16-20, 2023


We can solve your cell therapy process scale up challenges.

PBS Biotech, Inc. is a manufacturer of single-use bioreactor systems and provider of process development services for the global cell and gene therapy market. Located in Camarillo, California, our vision is to become the world's leading scalable solutions supplier for allogeneic cell therapies. PBS bioreactors utilize proprietary Vertical-Wheel® technology to create homogeneous mixing conditions that can be scaled up and reproduced across a wide range of working volumes. In addition, our BioLab team has industry-leading experience in developing and optimizing scalable cell culture processes for a variety of therapeutic cell products and applications.


 Videos

PBS Biotech - Company Introduction

 Press Releases

  • CAMARILLO, Calif.Jan. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- PBS Biotech ("PBS"), an innovative, single-use bioreactor manufacturer and process development services provider, has completed a $22 million financing led by Avego Management, LLC ("Avego") with additional investment from existing investor BroadOak Capital Partners ("BroadOak"). This financing will be used to improve the company's products portfolio, expand its process development services capability, and increase customer support for global cell therapy clients.

    "The investment from Avego Management and BroadOak ensures PBS Biotech will continue to provide the best manufacturing platform along with unsurpassed technical support to unlock clinical and commercial manufacturing of allogeneic cell-based therapies for decades to come," said Dr. Brian Lee, CEO of PBS Biotech.

    Jerry Liao, Vice President at Avego, has joined the Board of Directors at PBS. "PBS has a remarkable and validated technology and product platform, as evidenced by projects with more than 200 customers. Avego is thrilled to partner with Dr. Lee and the leadership team at PBS to support the continued growth of one of the leading technology and service providers in the cell therapy space," said Jerry Liao.

    "This financing positions PBS to expedite product development, enabling therapeutic developers from early-stage research through clinical development and commercial manufacturing in the coming years," said Bryan Poltilove, Operating Partner at BroadOak and Director at PBS. "We are excited to continue supporting PBS and to have Avego join as a new investor in the company."

    Compared to traditional "stirred-tank" systems, PBS Vertical-Wheel® bioreactors have demonstrated superior performance of therapeutic cell production in multiple published studies. While the unique and scalable fluid mixing conditions enabled by Vertical-Wheel bioreactors are ideal for a wide range of human cell-derived modalities, they are particularly well-suited for induced pluripotent stem cell ("iPSC"), mesenchymal stem cell ("MSC"), and exosome-based therapeutics manufacturing. Companies in this space are developing novel regenerative medicines as potential cures to life threatening conditions such as diabetes, cancer, and heart disease and recognize the need for a scalable manufacturing platform for commercial demands.

    Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth acted as legal counsel for PBS, Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP acted as legal counsel for Avego, and Cooley LLP acted as legal counsel for BroadOak.

    About PBS Biotech

    PBS Biotech is a leading manufacturer of single-use bioreactor systems and provider of process development services. PBS' bioreactors utilize proprietary Vertical-Wheel® technology to create homogeneous and scalable mixing conditions for a variety of sensitive cell therapy products and cell culture applications. PBS Biotech's vision is to become the world's standard manufacturing platform for allogeneic cell-based therapies. To learn more, visit pbsbiotech.com.

    About Avego Management, LLC ("Avego"):

    Avego, founded in 2015 by former healthcare entrepreneurs, is a multi-strategy healthcare-focused investment firm with offices in New York and Georgia. Through its three strategies, which include private equity, venture capital, and a long/short fund, Avego invests in private and public companies developing and commercializing innovative products and services for patients, practitioners, and other stakeholders across the healthcare continuum. To learn more about Avego, visit avego.com

    About BroadOak Capital Partners ("BroadOak")

    BroadOak Capital Partners is a life science focused, boutique financial institution that provides direct investment and investment banking services to companies in the research tools and consumables, diagnostics, and biopharma services sectors. BroadOak has led or participated in investments in over 60 companies across multiple funds and investment vehicles. For more information, visit broadoak.com

  • TEMCELL Technologies Inc. and PBS Biotech Inc. have announced their supply partnership to make the PBS-MINI Bioreactor available through STEMCELL Technologies for researchers looking to scale up their human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) cultures. By enabling the reliable and scalable suspension culture of hPSCs, this partnership will help scientists obtain the quantity and quality of cells needed to advance their research.

    Common barriers to culturing large numbers of hPSCs include the surface area restrictions of traditional 2D cultures and the challenges of achieving the ideal growth conditions for anchorage-dependent and shear-sensitive human cells in 3D cultures. PBS Biotech offers a scalable, low-shear bioreactor system for high-throughput, suspension-based culture of hPSCs, typically grown as aggregates. This innovative instrument enables researchers to rapidly and reliably achieve high volumes of hPSC aggregates in suspension while maintaining high viability and cell quality for downstream differentiation and other applications.

    The PBS-MINI is compatible with STEMCELL’s TeSR™ family of 3D suspension culture media, providing a convenient pathway for scaling up hPSC cultures already established in TeSR™ media. By using the PBS Biotech system in combination with media such as mTeSR™3D, researchers can achieve the robust scale-up of hPSC cultures without the need for anti-foaming agents or shear protectants. To see performance data of mTeSR™3D with the PBS-MINI, click here.

    “STEMCELL is thrilled to partner with PBS Biotech to share their single-use bioreactor technology and our specialized 3D media. Helping scientists to generate a large number of high-quality cells and scale up their operations will ultimately enable them to reach their research goals sooner,” says Dr. Allen Eaves, CEO and President of STEMCELL Technologies. “This partnership establishes a clear path to hPSC scalability and supports the efficient advancement of cell therapy research.”

    “PBS Biotech is excited to work with STEMCELL to offer innovative solutions for robust scale up of hPSCs,” says Brian Lee, CEO and Co-Founder of PBS Biotech. “STEMCELL’s global reach will accelerate early adoption of the PBS-MINI in conjunction with the TeSR™ family of 3D suspension culture media.”

    To learn more about the PBS-MINI Bioreactor offerings, visit STEMCELL.com/PBS-MINI.

    About STEMCELL Technologies
    STEMCELL Technologies supports life sciences research with more than 2,500 specialized reagents, tools, and services. STEMCELL offers high-quality cell culture media, cell separation technologies, instruments, accessory products, educational resources, and contract assay services that are used by scientists performing stem cell, immunology, cancer, regenerative medicine, and cellular therapy research globally. As a company of Scientists Helping Scientists, STEMCELL is dedicated to improving lives through advancing knowledge, innovation, and scientific discovery.

    About PBS Biotech
    PBS Biotech delivers superior value to customers through their novel single-use bioreactor products and world-class process development services. PBS Biotech’s innovative single-use bioreactors are fully scalable for any stage of the cell culture process, from R&D to clinical to commercial cGMP production. Providing efficient, reliable and cost-effective manufacturing systems and unsurpassed technical expertise, PBS Biotech helps customers to solve their cell culture challenges and reach their goals of providing life-changing therapeutics for patients.


 Products

  • PBS-Mini Vertical-Wheel Bioreactors
    Experience the benefits of Vertical-Wheel mixing in a scale-down model. Cell culture processes optimized using the PBS-0.1 and/or PBS-0.5 Mini can be confidently scaled up into larger scale Vertical-Wheel bioreactors....

    • Universal base unit is compatible with either size of single-use vessels (0.1L or 0.5L working volumes)

    • Designed for use in incubator for temperature and gas control

    • Removable caps on single-use vessels allow for sterile liquid handling in biosafety hood

    • Product contact materials meet regulatory requirements for first-in-human clinical trials

  • PBS-3 Vertical-Wheel Bioreactor
    The PBS-3 is designed to take your cell culture process to the next level. Process development and optimization started in PBS-Minis can be scaled up into this self-contained bioreactor with customizable control of process parameters....

    • Single-use vessels and software qualified for use in clinical trials, including first-in-human studies

    • Touchscreen interface for intuitive process customization, control, and reporting

    • Configurations available for use with single-use or reusable DO and pH sensors

    • Installation and operations qualification protocols available for sale

  • PBS-15 Vertical-Wheel Bioreactor
    The PBS-15 is the next step in scaling up the cell culture process started in the PBS-Minis and PBS-3. With a maximum working volume of 15L, the PBS-15 can accommodate larger scale process development or production for clinical trials....

    • Continue scale up of process development or clinical stage production
    • Touchscreen interface for intuitive process customization, control, and reporting
    • Adjustable height harvest valve (AHHV) allows for rapid medium exchange, sampling, and harvesting
    • Configurations available for use with single-use or reusable DO and pH sensors
    • Installation and operations qualification protocols available for sale
  • PBS-80 Vertical-Wheel Bioreactor
    The PBS-80 is the ultimate tool for large-scale manufacturing of therapeutic cells. With the currently largest available working volume of 80L, the PBS-80 can handle commercial manufacturing of cell therapy products.

    ...

    • Expand clinical stage production or scale up into commercial scale manufacturing

    • Touchscreen interface for intuitive process customization, control, and reporting

    • Adjustable height harvest valve (AHHV) allows for rapid medium exchange, sampling, and harvesting

    • Configurations available for use with single-use or reusable DO and pH sensors

    • Installation and operations qualification protocols available for sale