Asynt Lab Reactor Aids Pioneering Development

Lamellar Biomedical Ltd, a Scottish biotechnology company established to research, develop and commercialise healthcare products, has recently acquired a ReactoMate Controlled Lab Reactor from Asynt of Cambridge to develop a unique new process for the production of their flagship product, Lamellosomes^®.

These are synthetic equivalents of the lamellar bodies found naturally in the body that are secreted by various organs and perform a vital role in lubricating and protecting biological surfaces. Potential applications include the treatment of conditions such as cystic fibrosis and asthma, COPD, skin regeneration and dry mouth.

The ReactoMate Reactor has been used to develop a novel method for producing Lamellosomes. Previous methods have were more laborious and liable to contamination with organic solvents, which may have had an adverse affect on product stability, and residues in the finished product may give rise to adverse reactions when administered to patients. Lamellar’s Graham Park said “ ReactoMate has provided an ideal solution for the scale-up of our production process. We started with a few millilitres, and have increased this to the current batch size of 1 litre. The next step will be to go to batches of 20litres, and with ReactoMate this can all be done with the same basic apparatus.”

ReactoMate offers all the desirable features of a laboratory reactor – precise control of reaction variables, a powerful direct drive overhead stirrer, excellent visibility (the outer vacuum jacket prevents condensation), quick release fittings for convenient vessel change, and the ability to operate under vacuum or inert gas conditions. Comprehensive data logging facilities are also available for reaction variables.