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)