International supplier Sartorius Stedim Biotech (SSB) has released a new virus-retentive filter for use in cell culture media.

Called Virosart®, the new media filter offers a fast and cost-effective solution for manufacturers to reduce the risk of virus contamination resulting from raw materials, such as chemically defined media, during fermentation.

Virosart® Media is a single-use filter, which provides the highest level of safety for customers’ upstream processes. It is qualified for > 4 log10 reduction of small, non-enveloped viruses such as Minute Virus of Mice MVM, as well as being mycoplasma and leptospira retentive.

A major benefit of this new filter is that mid-scale and process filters of the Virosart® Media product family will also be qualified as a sterile filter based on the current ASTM guideline. The first product of the Virosart® Media family is a lab filter with a filtration area of 5.0 cm2 for down-scale, flow and capacity studies. The mid-scale filter with 0.29 m² and the process filters with 1 m² and 3 m² will follow in the second half of 2016.

Providing superior filter capacity for cell culture media and high patient safety is one of the biggest challenges in today’s upstream processing.

Expert for viral clearance at Sartorius Stedim Biotech Birtie Kleindienst says: "In the past, downstream virus filters have been used in upstream processing as there were no other adequate solutions available. Our new membrane filter Virosart® Media finally closes this gap in the market."