The leading manufacturer of chickenpox vaccines in China, Changchun Keygen Biological Products relies on robot-based cell factory automation to produce live-attenuated vaccines in a hygienic environment with the highest efficiency. One essential process is the cultivation of the virus in special containers or “cell factories” requiring high-intensity oscillation. Robotic systems integrator Shenyang Great Elites Intelligent Equipment engineered an automated solution with no fewer than 12 Stäubli TX200 Stericlean robots.
Today, chickenpox hardly poses a threat to children or adults – thanks to a vaccine that is used worldwide and consists of live-attenuated varicella viruses. This type of vaccine encourages the body to create antibodies and memory immune cells, thus stimulating a strong, effective, long-lasting immune response. This prevents children from being infected with chickenpox and minimises the risk of developing much more serious complications such as meningitis, pneumonia, and in the course of a lifetime, shingles (herpes zoster).
China’s biggest manufacturer of these vaccines, Changchun Keygen Biological Products (CKBP) in Changchun was established in 2003. With an annual production capacity of eight million doses of chickenpox vaccine, the company is not only supplying the domestic market but also exporting the live-attenuated varicella vaccine to various countries like South Korea and India.
A Major Step: From Manual-assisted to Automatic Operation
CKBP was one of the first Chinese companies to utilise robots for vaccine production. The decision for a high level of automation was driven by the need to eliminate all potential xenobiotics, impurities, and contamination caused by personnel to the greatest extent possible and maintain a strict, sterile production environment. A high level of automation is a prerequisite for the safe production of high-quality vaccines.
Given these requirements, robotic systems integrator Shenyang Great Elites Intelligent Equipment – well familiar with the automation of critical processes in biopharmaceutical production – engineered a system that has enabled CKBP to upgrade its live-attenuated varicella vaccine production from traditional manual to automated operations.
