Life Science Group Ltd blog

Custom Cell Culture Media Development: From Formulation to Scale-Up

Life Science Group — Mon, 02 Nov 2026 08:47:20 GMT

Developing custom cell culture media is a balancing act. The right formulation keeps cells healthy, productive and consistent; the wrong one can undermine yield, quality and reproducibility. This guide walks through the cell culture media development process, from media components and cell requirements to cost, AI-driven optimisation and scale-up, to take a bespoke formulation to a final, fit-for-purpose product.

The Life Science Group (LSG) team has significant experience in cell culture. Our Managing Director, Jenny, has worked with cell culture sera and media for over 40 years. LSG is ideally placed to support customers in producing bespoke media and liquid products, from development and stability trials through to final manufacture and scale-up. Our team can also advise on sourcing excipients, final presentation and quality release testing to meet regulatory requirements.

Key Takeaways

• Small changes in media composition can have a large impact on cell viability and function.

• Media must be matched to the cell type, the intended output and the process conditions.

• Cost, regulatory requirements and ease of manufacture should be built in from the start, not added at scale-up.

• AI and machine learning can speed up the optimisation of media components and concentrations.

• Stability, shelf-life and packaging need to be considered during development, not after it.

A Brief History of Cell Culture Media Formulations

Cell culture media formulations have been around for many years, dating back to Ringer’s solution, a balanced salt solution (BSS) devised by Sydney Ringer in the 1880s. A cell culture medium contains the ingredients cells need to survive, grow and function as required in vitro.

Formulations vary depending on the cell type and the application, and very small changes in media composition can have a large impact on cell viability and how cells function.

Key Cell Culture Media Components

Cells rely on many different chemicals and excipients to provide an environment in which they can grow and thrive. Typical components include:

• Energy sources – glucose or other sugars, plus amino acids

• Vitamins – to support enzyme function

• Peptides – to support protein production

• Lipids – for membrane construction

• Salts – to maintain osmotic balance

• Buffers – such as bicarbonate or HEPES, to control pH

• Trace elements – for a variety of functions, including acting as enzyme cofactors

Serum-free and animal-component-free media

More recently developed media tend to be fully defined and free from animal or human components, which can create batch-to-batch variability. These media are often enhanced with antioxidants, recombinant growth factors and specific components that support a particular function required by the cells. Where serum or human-derived supplements remain part of a process, consistent, well-characterised sources such as foetal bovine serum (FBS) or human platelet lysate are essential.

Getting the balance right

The trick in developing cell-specific culture media is maintaining balance, because the composition of the medium directly affects how the cells perform. Imbalances in glucose and amino acid levels can lead to elevated levels of lactate and ammonium in the medium. High concentrations of glucose or fructose can also trigger the Crabtree effect, in which respiration is inhibited and cells rely more heavily on glycolysis, producing more lactate. This has been observed in numerous cell types, particularly proliferating cells.

Balancing every excipient to support metabolism, pH and osmotic balance is tricky, but getting it right delivers consistent, reproducible cell culture and happy cells.

Matching Cell Culture Media to the Application

Different cell cultures have different biological processes, and these differences dictate what the media must provide. Hybridomas, for instance, have very different requirements to HeLa, Jurkat or CHO-S cells, or to iPSCs.

Requirements also depend on the output. There are notable differences between cells producing a biopharmaceutical protein, cells producing viruses, and processes where the cell itself is the product, as in cell and gene therapy (CGT). Cells used for viral vector production may be similar to those used for monoclonal antibody or recombinant protein production, but they need media that support high-density growth, a short doubling time and high-titre production.

How Cell Type Affects Media Requirements

Different cell types can have very different basal nutritional needs, and these must be taken into account when looking at product yield, quality and stability, and when maximising cell growth.

Primary cells vs immortalised cell lines

Primary cells need more from the media to mimic their in vivo environment, whereas immortalised cell lines are frequently less fastidious and do not always need the same high concentrations of serum and growth factors.

CHO cells

Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell lines are well established, and a range of media providing the right environment is available off the shelf from most large media suppliers.

HEK293 and insect cell lines

Insect cell lines and mammalian cell lines, including HEK293 (a widely used immortalised line derived from human embryonic kidney cells), may be used as production hosts for CGT and vaccine manufacture. These platforms are relatively new, and the available media are frequently neither well defined nor animal-component-free.

Cells for cell therapy

For cells used in cell therapies, quality parameters must be maintained so that the cells keep their therapeutic potential throughout their life. That requires a complete, in-depth understanding of both the cell type and its requirements before media development begins. Small deviations can have catastrophic effects, which creates challenges that may be less critical for other production purposes.

Process Conditions: Suspension vs Adherent Cells

The culture process also matters, and it differs depending on whether the cells grow in suspension or are adherent. Each needs different media conditions.

Suspension cells

Suspension cells grow freely suspended in the medium and typically operate at higher densities than adherent cells. Their media are subtly different, containing excipients to stop the cells from clumping.

Adherent cells

Adherent cells grow attached to a culture vessel or substrate, forming a monolayer that needs enzymatic or mechanical detachment for subculturing. They typically grow at lower densities than suspension cells and need specific components that enable them to adhere.

Remember too that the same cells may need different media at each stage of production, including media to support transfection, media for passaging and media for the production phase.

Managing Cost in Cell Culture Media Development

Cost needs to be considered from the outset. What is affordable in the laboratory may become prohibitively expensive in large-scale production, so media intended for scale-up should always be developed with the production budget in mind.

On the path to a bespoke formulation that delivers high titres, cell stability and strong growth, low cost should be part of the brief. This may mean compromises between productivity and cost, which are likely to prompt lively debate. It is also vital that excipients are chosen with the regulatory framework under which the media will be used in mind.

Finally, factor in the cost of small-scale initial production to generate manufacturing data and prove stability, reliability and repeatability.

Using AI and Machine Learning to Optimise Media Formulations

As we have seen, developing bespoke media means weighing up many factors: cell type, culture environment, productivity, media components, whether biologicals such as serum are present, and cost. Experimental design needs to take all of these into account.

Computational and experimental design methods based on AI and machine learning now allow media components and conditions to be evaluated and optimised systematically. These systems vary component concentrations and generate data rapidly to identify the optimum fit-for-purpose formulation and, more importantly, to increase yields. LSG works with trusted partners who offer this service.

The Cell Culture Media Development Process: From Idea to Production

A typical approach to developing a successful cell culture medium is:

1. Start with a familiar basal medium.

2. Optimise the developing formulation by adding different components to the basal medium.

3. Evaluate the medium and its components at differing concentrations.

4. Generate performance data for cells in production using the nominated formulations.

5. Choose the final formulation and its excipients.

Designing for manufacture at scale

The formulation will need to be manufactured at scale, so ease of manufacture is also a consideration. The simplest option is a single powder formulation that can be rehydrated easily, with complementary reagents and supplements added in a single step.

Stability and shelf-life testing

The final media formulation must be tested for stability and repeatability. Accelerated and real-time shelf-life studies can be used to demonstrate the stability of the medium over a range of time points.

Packaging and presentation

Packaging should also be considered during development. How will the medium be used? Does it need to be supplied in single-use bags for ease of use in the production environment? Keep this in mind during initial and stability trials so that it is captured at every data generation point.

Work with LSG on Your Custom Cell Culture Media

LSG is a trusted partner to academia, biotech, pharma and the wider research sector. As a specialist UK-based, full-service CDMO for liquid solutions, we combine scientific expertise with agile, reliable, accredited manufacturing. Our services include custom media manufacturing, high-quality reagents and serum, biospecimens, antibody generation and bespoke kitting. You can also browse our ready-made culture media.

To discuss availability and detailed costings, send us a custom liquid enquiry or email sales@lifesciencegroup.co.uk.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is custom cell culture media?

Custom (or bespoke) cell culture media are formulated for a specific cell type, process or product rather than bought as an off-the-shelf catalogue formulation. They are optimised for factors such as cell growth, viability, productivity, cost and regulatory requirements.

What are the main components of cell culture media?

Most media contain energy sources such as glucose and amino acids, vitamins, lipids, salts, buffers such as bicarbonate or HEPES, and trace elements. Many modern media also include recombinant growth factors and antioxidants, and are serum-free and fully defined.

What is the Crabtree effect in cell culture?

The Crabtree effect is the inhibition of respiration when cells are exposed to high concentrations of glucose or fructose. Cells rely more on glycolysis and produce more lactate, which is why balancing sugars and amino acids matters in media design.

Why do suspension and adherent cells need different media?

Suspension cells grow at higher densities and need excipients that stop them clumping, while adherent cells grow as a monolayer on a surface and need components that help them attach.

Why is stability testing important for cell culture media?

Accelerated and real-time stability studies show how the medium performs over time, supporting the shelf life and the consistency needed for reliable, repeatable production.

The Hidden Complexities of Sourcing Human Disease-State Samples

Life Science Group — Mon, 02 Nov 2026 08:46:58 GMT

Human disease-state samples are incredibly valuable in research. These biospecimens support work across drug discovery, biomarker development, translational research, diagnostics and disease progression studies. But anyone who has worked with them knows that sourcing the right material is not straightforward.

A disease-state sample is not just a tube, a block of tissue or a line item on a request form. It comes from a real donor, with a real diagnosis, a clinical history and a set of circumstances that can all influence how useful that sample is to your research.

That is why getting the right sample starts well before collection. In this article, we look at what really decides whether a human biospecimen is fit for purpose: the study design, the protocol, prospective versus retrospective collection, and the clinical data that should travel with every sample.

Key Takeaways

• The right disease-state sample is defined by the research question, not just by what is available.

• A clear protocol sets out donor criteria, sample type, processing, storage and transport before collection begins.

• Retrospective collections are faster; prospective collections give more control over donors, matched sets and handling.

• Diagnosis, disease stage, medication and treatment history can matter as much as the sample itself.

• When there is no protocol, asking the right questions early prevents recollection and delays.

Start with the Study, Not the Sample

One of the most important parts of biospecimen sourcing is understanding what the researcher is actually trying to do.

Sometimes the request is very clear. Other times it starts with something broad, such as:

• “We need cancer tissue.”

• “We need matched blood.”

• “We need samples from donors at a specific disease stage.”

Those are useful starting points, but they are rarely enough on their own. To find the right material, we need to understand the study behind the request:

• What is being measured?

• What sample type is needed?

• Does the donor need to meet specific criteria?

• Are there medication or treatment exclusions?

• Is the sample being used for molecular analysis, cell work, histology, assay development or something else entirely?

These details matter because they decide whether the sample will be suitable once it reaches the lab.

Why a Clear Sample Collection Protocol Makes Such a Difference

A good protocol gives everyone clarity. It defines how the sample should be collected, processed, transported and stored, and it helps avoid assumptions that can cause problems later.

For example, a protocol can confirm:

• whether the collection needs to be prospective or retrospective

• what donor demographics are required

• whether matched sets are needed, such as tumour tissue with blood, plasma or PBMCs

• which diagnosis or disease stage is relevant

• whether the sample needs to be frozen, fixed or fresh

• what volume or concentration is required

• whether certain medications or treatments need to be excluded

This is not just admin. It is part of protecting the quality of the research.

A sample may be technically available, but if it has been collected or handled in the wrong way, it may not answer the question the researcher is asking. For fresh tissue in particular, time to processing, temperature and the right tissue transportation medium all play a part in keeping the sample fit for purpose.

Prospective vs Retrospective Sample Collection

One of the first things to clarify is whether the study needs a prospective or a retrospective collection.

Retrospective collection

A retrospective collection uses samples that have already been collected and stored. This can be helpful when timelines are tight or when suitable material already exists. The limitation is that you may not be able to go back to the donor for additional samples or extra information.

Prospective collection

A prospective collection is planned before the sample is taken, which gives more control. The right sample types can be collected at the right time, from the right donor, using the right handling conditions.

Which approach is right for your study?

	Retrospective collection	Prospective collection
Timeline	Faster – the material already exists	Longer – collection is planned and scheduled
Control over collection and handling	Limited to how samples were originally taken	Defined by your protocol
Going back to the donor	Usually not possible	Recall and extra samples can be built in
Best suited to	Tight timelines and readily available sample types	Matched samples, specific collection methods, donor recall and medication exclusions

For studies needing matched samples, specific collection methods, donor recall or medication exclusions, prospective collection can make a big difference.

Why Donor Clinical Data Matters as Much as the Sample

With disease-state samples, the context can be just as important as the sample itself. Information such as diagnosis, disease stage, and medication and treatment history all matter.

Without that context, researchers can be left trying to interpret results with only part of the picture. This is especially important where medication or treatment history could influence biomarkers, analyte concentrations, cell behaviour or other readouts.

It is easy to think of these details as “nice to have”. In practice, they can be the difference between a useful sample and one that creates uncertainty.

No Protocol? 10 Questions to Ask Before Sourcing Disease-State Samples

It is not uncommon for a request to arrive without a full protocol. When that happens, the priority is to ask the right questions early:

1. Is this a prospective or retrospective requirement?

2. How many donors are needed?

3. Are there gender, age or other demographic requirements?

4. Are there any geographic exclusions?

5. What volume is needed per donor?

6. Are matched samples required?

7. Can frozen material be accepted?

8. If whole blood is required, can it be frozen to make transport easier?

9. Are there medication or treatment exclusions?

10. What documentation will be needed?

These questions can feel detailed at the start, but they save time later. They reduce the risk of collecting the wrong material, needing to recollect, delaying the study or supplying a sample that does not truly fit its intended use.

Biospecimen Sourcing Is More Than Finding a Sample

Good biospecimen sourcing is not just about finding what is available. It is about matching the research question to the right donor, the right collection method, the right documentation and the right handling conditions. That means working across researchers, collection centres, clinical teams, ethics requirements and logistics. With so many moving parts, planning matters.

Better Samples Start with Better Questions

The most useful disease-state samples are not always the rarest or the highest volume, but the ones collected with a clear purpose. When the right questions are asked early, the sample is more likely to arrive with the context, quality and documentation needed to support meaningful research.

At LSG, we take the time to understand your study before helping to source the specimens you need. Explore our biospecimen sourcing service or talk to our team about your requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are human disease-state samples?

Human disease-state samples are biospecimens, such as tissue, whole blood, serum, plasma or PBMCs, collected from donors with a confirmed diagnosis of a specific disease. They are used in drug discovery, biomarker research, diagnostics development and studies of disease progression.

What is the difference between prospective and retrospective sample collection?

Retrospective collection uses samples that have already been collected and stored. Prospective collection is planned in advance, so samples are taken to a defined protocol, from donors who meet set criteria, under agreed handling conditions.

What are matched samples?

Matched samples are different sample types taken from the same donor, for example tumour tissue alongside blood, plasma or PBMCs. They let researchers compare results across sample types from one individual.

What information should come with a disease-state sample?

Depending on the study, this can include donor demographics, diagnosis and disease stage, medication and treatment history, and details of how the sample was collected, processed and stored, along with the documentation the study requires.

This article was written by Toni-Anne Cummings, Sales Specialist and Customer Coordinator at Life Science Group (LSG).

About LSG

LSG is a full-service, UK-based CDMO for aseptic liquid, custom antibody, serum and specimen needs. We combine scientific expertise with agile, accredited manufacturing to support a growing customer base across the cell culture and molecular biology fields.

www.lifesciencegroup.co.uk · sales@lifesciencegroup.co.uk

Case Study: Somus x LSG

Life Science Group — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 14:28:25 GMT

Antibody Development and Lateral Flow Assay Support for Somnus

Introduction

Somnus Scientific first approached Life Science Group (LSG) in July 2022 to develop a rabbit polyclonal antibody to propofol, with the longer-term objective of supporting development of a rapid diagnostic test. The programme subsequently progressed to mouse monoclonal antibody generation in March 2024. Four monoclonal antibodies were identified for lateral flow evaluation and the programme later included hybridoma sequencing and recombinant antibody expression.

The overall aim was to support the translation of Somnus's laboratory-based propofol immunoassay into a rapid point-of-care lateral flow test for use with clinically relevant samples.

The Challenge: Why the Customer Came to Us

Developing an antibody is only part of the challenge. For this programme, the customer had promising reagents and evidence of antibody performance in ELISA but needed specialist support to translate that early-stage work into a robust lateral flow assay with a secure route to future reagent supply.

Propofol presented a particularly demanding target. As a small molecule, it required a competitive rather than conventional sandwich assay format, making antigen presentation and assay architecture critical to performance. Somnus needed a partner with the breadth of lateral flow development expertise to understand how antibody characteristics, conjugation chemistry, membrane behaviour and assay conditions interacted and to systematically optimise them as a complete system.

The programme also identified a potential risk to future manufacture. During scale-up of the lead GH5 hybridoma, revival of cryopreserved cells initially resulted in poor viability and inconsistent antibody production. For the customer, this created a potential dependency on an unreliable supply of a critical assay component. Addressing these required capabilities extending beyond lateral flow development into antibody production and reagent supply, with the objective of establishing a robust and reproducible route to future manufacture.

By bringing antibody expertise, conjugation chemistry and lateral flow development together within a single programme, we were able to address both the immediate assay-development challenges and the longer-term risks associated with reagent supply. For the customer, this provided a route from promising laboratory reagents towards a reproducible, scalable assay platform without having to build and coordinate these specialist capabilities internally.

Life Science Group's Role

LSG supported Somnus across the antibody and diagnostic development pathway, providing specialist antibody expertise and continuity as the programme progressed from antibody generation into diagnostic development. This support included custom polyclonal and mouse monoclonal antibody development and screening, selection of antibodies for diagnostic evaluation and development of a competitive lateral flow proof-of-concept assay in collaboration with Creonate Manufacturing and specialist conjugation partners.

To translate promising antibody performance into a viable lateral flow format, LSG and Creonate evaluated antibody conjugation to colloidal gold through antibody loading, buffer optimisations, nitrocellulose membrane comparisons incorporating novel propofol capture formats and dry-test configurations. By connecting antibody expertise with downstream assay development, the team helped address the challenges of translating antibody performance into the intended diagnostic format, progressing the programme through to testing with propofol-spiked human serum.

LSG also helped de-risk future antibody supply by maintaining the original GH5 hybridoma, sequencing the selected antibody and evaluating recombinant expression alongside conventional hybridoma-derived production. This provided Somnus with alternative routes to a critical assay reagent, supporting continuity of supply and greater flexibility for future scale-up and commercialisation.

Key Outcomes and Achievements

The programme successfully generated a panel of anti-propofol monoclonal antibodies and identified GH5 as the lead candidate for continued lateral flow development.

When the original BSA-propofol approach did not provide sufficient lateral flow performance, the team investigated alternative assay architectures. Evaluation of a biotin-propofol/poly-streptavidin capture system improved presentation of the small-molecule target and enabled further optimisation of the assay. Through iterative testing, the work progressed into a dry-test format and evaluation with propofol-spiked pooled human serum, establishing proof of concept for the competitive lateral flow approach.

The project also established an alternative route to future antibody supply through recombinant expression. ELISA comparison showed that recombinant GH5 retained strong binding to propofol and, under the conditions tested, generated higher absorbance values than the previously purified GH5 antibody across the concentrations examined.

The original hybridoma was also successfully recovered following culture optimisation, expanded and banked, providing complementary hybridoma and recombinant production routes, allowing Somnus flexibility in the routes they follow and opportunities to explore increased sensitivity.

Summary: LSG Products and Solutions

The Somnus project demonstrates LSG's ability to support a diagnostic programme from early antibody discovery through to assay feasibility and future manufacturing readiness. Services delivered across the programme included

Work completed to date has included:

Custom rabbit polyclonal antibody development
Mouse monoclonal antibody development and screening
Hybridoma culture, recovery and cell banking
Antibody sequencing
Recombinant antibody expression
Antibody purification and characterisation
Colloidal-gold conjugation evaluation
Lateral flow feasibility and optimisation support.
Supply of propofol-positive human serum and blood samples

The collaboration provides Somnus with both a lead anti-propofol antibody and a development pathway towards a sequence-defined, reproducible antibody supply for continued point-of-care test development. Somnus is now focused on further optimisation of the lateral flow format and progression towards increasingly representative prototypes and clinical evaluation.

Email sales@lifesciencegroup.co.uk to discuss your requirements.

Case Study: University Hospital Southhampton x LSG

Life Science Group — Mon, 12 Oct 2026 12:31:32 GMT

Custom reagent manufacture for University Hospital Southampton

Introduction

Life Science Group partnered with the Virology Department at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust to develop and manufacture a custom reagent used across their workflows.

The project focused on producing an 8M guanidine hydrochloride solution. The aim was to create a reliable, ready-to-use reagent that could support ongoing virology testing while reducing dependence on existing suppliers.

The Challenge: Why the Customer Came to Us

The customer’s existing reagent supply chain had become unreliable, with manufacturing delays and poor availability creating operational risk.

As the customer explained:

“The manufacturing issues are still ongoing with our existing supplier, so this will likely be required as soon as it arrives”.

They were looking to improve supply, but needed confidence that the product could be manufactured, validated, supplied at suitable volumes, and adapted around realistic usage patterns.

Key challenges included:

Poor availability from the incumbent supplier.
A need for a custom formulation and fill volume.
Specific container requirements due to solvent and chaotrope use.
Validation requirements before wider workflow adoption.
Changing volume forecasts and the need for flexible batch planning.
Shelf-life considerations linked to ordering frequency and stock usage.

Life Science Group's Role

Life Science Group worked closely with the customer to move from enquiry to manufacture, supporting them through specification, quotation, production planning, documentation, and release.

Our role included:

Reviewing the customer’s custom product requirements.
Building a quotation around forecasted usage and realistic batch sizes.
Revising pricing when the customer’s forecast changed.
Advising on batch frequency, shelf life, and supply planning.
Preparing and agreeing the product specification before manufacture.
Confirming release expectations, including pH and relevant quality considerations.
Manufacturing the custom reagent and dispatching it for customer validation.
Maintaining clear communication throughout the process.

The project required a collaborative approach, with both teams working through formulation, packaging, release criteria, validation needs, and future supply planning.

Key Outcomes and Achievements

The first manufactured batch was successfully produced and dispatched for customer validation.

Feedback from the customer was overwhelmingly positive:

“We were testing your reagent with the majority of our workload – and it is working perfectly, so it will be a quality improvement for our services.”

Key outcomes included:

- - Successful manufacture of a custom guanidine hydrochloride reagent.
  - A more secure alternative to an unreliable incumbent supply route.
  - Product supplied for validation within the customer’s workflow.
  - Flexible pricing and batch planning based on revised usage data.
  - Progression toward catalogue addition and future repeat supply.
  - Discussion of two further potential custom products for manufacture by LSG.

Summary: LSG Products and Solutions

This project demonstrates Life Science Group’s ability to support customers with custom liquid manufacture where standard catalogue products or incumbent suppliers cannot meet operational needs.

For laboratories, diagnostics teams, and life science organisations, LSG can support with:

Custom buffers and reagents.
Specialist liquid manufacture.
Small and medium batch production.
Customer-specific fill volumes and packaging formats.
Specification development and documentation.
Flexible batch planning aligned to usage and shelf life.
UK-based manufacture with responsive technical and commercial support.

Where supply chain reliability matters, LSG helps customers move from uncertainty to a more controlled, collaborative, and dependable manufacturing solution.

Email sales@lifesciencegroup.co.uk to discuss your requirements.

Case Study: Medtrade x LSG

Life Science Group — Thu, 08 Oct 2026 12:36:47 GMT

Collection time to receipt of material for Medtrade/Celox Products LTD

Introduction

We were approached by our customer as they faced a challenge of receiving extremely freshly collected whole blood samples for wound absorbent material studies. The only option they had available to them involved importing the material from the USA. Due to the collection and shipping timelines this meant that the whole blood could be more than 7 days old from collection to receipt. The study required extremely fresh whole blood.

The Challenge: Why the Customer Came to Us

Given the age of the blood upon arrival, this wasn’t giving the customer accurate clinical information on how their products would behave with fresh whole blood. The blood cells were deteriorating during transit which was having an impact on their scientific outcomes.

Life Science Group's Role

LSG have access to freshly collected whole blood samples from a range of agricultural donors and can offer same day or next day deliveries. LSG have a degree of flexibility within the collection times of whole blood allowing for coverage on urgent requests. LSG can offer collection from donor to lab bench with a time frame of less than 24 hours.

Key Outcomes and Achievements

Reduced collection-to-receipt time from 7+ days to less than 24 hours, giving Medtrade/Celox access to significantly fresher whole blood.
Enabled same-day or next-day delivery of freshly collected agricultural whole blood samples.
Improved clinical relevance of product testing by allowing wound absorbent materials to be assessed against blood that more closely reflects fresh physiological conditions.
Reduced the impact of blood-cell deterioration associated with extended international transport and storage.
Provided a responsive UK-based supply route, removing reliance on imported material from the USA.
Introduced greater flexibility around collection timing, allowing LSG to support urgent or short-notice study requirements.
Created a donor-to-laboratory workflow capable of delivering material within 24 hours, supporting more reliable and representative scientific outcomes.

Aditionally, LSG developed a strong working relationship with all personnel at Medtrade/Celox which will see the parties expand on their work together.

“Extremely happy with the level of service and quality of goods received. Actively moving to validate LSG as the primary supplier of blood products for third-party test houses we contract routine work out for :-) “

Summary: LSG Products and Solutions

For Medtrade/Celox, LSG provided a reliable UK-based route to freshly collected whole blood, reducing collection-to-receipt time to less than 24 hours and removing reliance on slower international supply.

More broadly, LSG supports research, diagnostic and product development programmes with a flexible biospecimen sourcing service, including:

Fresh whole blood and other animal-derived biospecimens
Human biospecimens from healthy and disease-state donors
Matched sample sets and donor recall
Prospective collections against defined study protocols
Plasma, serum, PBMCs, tissues and other sample types
Access to associated donor and clinical information where available
Flexible collection schedules and rapid turnaround for time-sensitive studies

Our focus is on helping customers access the right biological material, in the right condition, with the provenance, consistency and collection parameters required for meaningful scientific work.

Email sales@lifesciencegroup.co.uk to discuss your requirements.

Case Study: Multus x LSG

Life Science Group — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 08:03:46 GMT

Multus Multus optimises the formulation.

LSG helps make it ready for supply.

Background

For biomanufacturing companies producing cellular-based products, cell culture media is a key commercial consideration. Animal component-free media is often a prerequisite for scale-up, and products high-quality products require reproducible and manufacturable media formulations. However, the gap between bench-scale media formulations and commercial-scale media can be significant. Without an established manufacturing partner relationship, that transition can be more costly and challenging than anticipated.

For most early-stage biotech companies, building GMP-aligned media manufacturing capability in-house is not viable. The alternative is identifying and onboarding a media manufacturing partner which introduces its own complexity: how to transfer formulation know-how, define quality requirements for a novel ingredient set, and manage the transition from research volumes to production volumes.

This case study describes how Multus Biotechnology and Life Science Group (LSG) addressed this challenge together, combining Multus' formulation expertise and their MediOP™ platform with LSG's manufacturing infrastructure, documentation capabilities, and quality systems.

Multus Biotechnology Ltd. - Media Optimisation

Multus Biotechnology develops optimised media formulations for the biomanufacturing sector across food, materials, and medicines. This is achieved via their proprietary MediOP™ platform that integrates robotic liquid handling for experimental throughput, machine learning-led live cell imaging to track media performance, and AI-driven bayesian optimisation to converge on high performing media formulations. MediOP™ screens thousands of formulation candidates in months, instead of years. MediOP™ produces a quantified, ranked understanding of which ingredients drive biological performance in media, developing high-performing media formulations across various applications.

The formulation developed in this case study, named PhytoFuel, is an animal component-free serum replacement designed for the proliferation of porcine adipocyte derived stem cells (ADSCs). PhytoFuel was optimised on the MediOP™ platform, and validated across three cell passages, demonstrating enhanced performance compared to FBS-containing control media.

Following internal development of the formulation, Multus approached Life Science Group (LSG) for the production of validation batches for further external testing of the formulation via select partners.

Life Science Group (LSG) - Manufacturing, Quality and Release

Life Science Group (LSG) is a UK-based contract manufacturer specialising in custom media, reagents, and biological solutions for life science applications. LSG operates GMP-aligned quality-managed facilities with ISO 9001 and 13485 certification and provides integrated services spanning process documentation, batch manufacture, QC retention, and cold-chain storage and fulfilment. They also maintain a network of release testing partners for validated and flexible final product testing.

LSG's experience with complex, multi-component biological formulations, including animal-component-free and specialised ingredient requirements, made them a wellsuited partner for a novel serum-free formulation. They can support the production of low-volume validation batches under 10 L, as well as commercial-scale manufacturing up to 2,000 L, all in-line with their GMP-aligned quality processes.

Technology transfer and manufacturing

This initial project began with the technical transfer of Multus’ formulation documentation to LSG, in the form of specification sheets, mixing sheets, and ingredient quality and safety documentation to define the manufacturing process and release testing requirements.

LSG collaborated with Multus to intake white-labelled ingredients (allowing Multus to retain key formulation IP) and integrate them into LSG’s GMP-aligned manufacturing quality infrastructure.

The manufacturing validation run was defined as an initial 3L batch (30 × 100mL units), sized to support early-stage trials while generating the process data needed for future scale-up.

Key aspects of the technology transfer included:

Process transfer: Translating Multus’ formulation specification into an LSGmanaged manufacturing process, with documentation based on LSG’s GMPaligned quality system.
Ingredient procurement: Multus sourced (white-labelled) ingredients were transferred to LSG ahead of manufacturing. LSG can also support ingredient procurement when needed.
QC and batch release alignment: Establishing shared expectations around QC retention, release testing (endotoxin, mycoplasma, sterility), and certification standards.
Scale-up pathway: Establishing the groundwork for a pricing and process model that captures cost efficiencies at scale, providing a commercial trajectory from validation volumes to production volumes.
Integrated storage and fulfilment: Storage of the final media products was provided by LSG, with direct customer fulfilment and global shipping, removing the need for additional Multus’ storage or cold-chain logistics.

For Multus, this project demonstrated that formulations developed on the MediOP™ platform can be successfully transferred to LSG and produced to defined quality standards for media validation batches intended for initial customer assessment.

For LSG, the engagement demonstrated their capability to take on novel, complex formulations from early-stage biotech companies and manage the process transfer, documentation, and quality alignment required to make outsourced manufacture viable from the early stages of product development.

Building an external manufacturing partnership

This collaboration illustrates a manufacturing model that is increasingly necessary for biomanufacturing, where formulation design and manufacturing expertise are held by different organisations and value is created by combining them effectively. For Multus, building in-house GMP-aligned manufacturing and the associated documentation, quality systems and release infrastructure would pull resources from core competencies in media optimisation and formulation design. Meanwhile, manufacturing partnerships are expanding beyond fee-for-service agreements, with stronger alignment between Biotech and CDMOs to support shared growth and reduce technical and operational risk amidst increasingly volatile supply chains.

Using this model, Multus focus on what the MediOP™ platform is designed to do: optimise media for specified cell lines and applications, converging on high-performing, cost effective formulations, with ingredient sets selected for manufacturability. Sequentially, LSG focus on translating these formulations to physical products via their manufacturing infrastructure and quality systems, managing documentation and traceability. This also means formulations validated at the single litre scale can be scaled through the same partner without requiring a lengthy re-qualification process.

Critically, the model is formulation agnostic. PhytoFuel was used to develop the manufacturing framework, with the same IP protections, quality standards, and partner relationship available for any optimised media formulations. For biomanufacturing companies working with Multus on media development, this answers the question of “once my formulation is optimised, how can I repeatably and reliably acquire quality product?”.

Collectively, this model delivers for Multus’ customers by ensuring both formulation quality and supply reliability, without either partner needing to build capacity outside their core competence. Case Study Multus Multus optimises the formulation. LSG helps make it ready for supply.

Outcomes

Specific project outcomes
- Defined validation batch (3L, 30 × 100mL units)
- Structured documentation for process transfer
- Alignment on testing, QC retention, and manufacturing expectations
- Clear pricing model showing cost efficiencies at scale o Exploration of integrated manufacturing + storage + fulfilment model
- Foundation for ongoing outsourced manufacturing as volumes increase
Commercially relevant outcomes
- Establishment of a GMP-aligned manufacturing partnership that enables Multus to supply optimised media through LSG’s manufacturing and quality infrastructure, supporting traceability, reproducibility, and a route to production scale-up.
- Demonstration of the manufacturability of MediOP™ designed media formulations.
- Showcase of LSG’s flexibility in manufacturing of multi-component formulations at the validation scale, with a path to formulation scale-up (up to 2,000 litres)

www.lifesciencegroup.co.uk https://www.multus.bio/

salesdist@lifesciencegroup.co.uk Julian.Bisten@multus.bio