Microbial CDMO services

With 40+ years of microbial expertise and 20 commercial products brought to global markets, Boehringer Ingelheim BioXcellence™ offers world-class microbial development and manufacturing services.

[Get in touch with our microbial experts](/content/partnering/boehringer-ingelheim-bioxcellence/contact-bioxcellence "Get in touch with our microbial experts"/index.html)

Microbial development and manufacturing expertise in a thriving sector

The demand for biologics is rising globally, and so is the market for microbial fermentation technology.

Over the years, diverse microbial molecule formats and processes have been developed, and Boehringer Ingelheim in Vienna has gained long-standing, in-depth experience of both the development and manufacturing of microbial biopharmaceuticals. In the last 40 years, these processes have yielded over 250 molecules.

We’re proud to be pioneers in the field, with a track record of success going back to the 1980s and our work on recombinant interferons. Since then, we’ve brought 20 microbial manufactured products to global markets and are a trusted contract manufacturing partner.

What is microbial manufacturing?

Microbial manufacturing is the process of using microorganisms such as E. coli and yeast to produce biopharmaceuticals.

As part of a controlled biological fermentation process, these microorganisms grow in bioreactors and produce the desired molecule. This approach enables the efficient production of a wide range of molecule types.

Our Vienna site has experience of delivering recombinant proteins like growth hormones and peptides, as well as antibody-like molecules (e.g., fragments, scaffold proteins), sub-unit vaccines, virus-like particles, and plasmid DNA products.

Why microbial manufacturing?

Microbial systems are ideal for synthesizing smaller and non-glycosylated proteins, complementing mammalian cell culture processes for larger proteins like monoclonal antibodies.

With doubling times measured in minutes, not hours, microbial upstream processes can be 30 times faster than mammalian cell culture processes and yield product titers as high as 20 g/L of fermentation broth.

Microbial fermentation technology provides several advantages in biologics manufacturing:

• Rapid production cycles: microbial cells grow up to 30 times faster than mammalian cell culture systems.
• High titers: achieving up to 20 g/L depending on molecule type and process design.
• Versatile technology: ideal for non‑glycosylated proteins, peptides, and antibody fragments that don’t require mammalian cell glycosylation.
• Scalable and cost‑efficient with the right partner at your side.

This makes microbial platforms valuable for today’s biopharmaceutical pipelines, where speed, flexibility and cost efficiency are more important than ever.

“At our Microbial Site in Vienna, we combine decades of expertise in microbial fermentation and purification with robust process scalability and adaptability. These strengths enable the efficient and reliable production of a wide range of molecule formats. Leveraging our deep technical know-how and proven operational excellence, we support our partners in bringing high quality biologics to patients faster, more cost effectively, and with consistently superior quality.”

Dr. Silvia K.

Microbial Site Head, Boehringer Ingelheim BioXcellence™

What we manufacture at Boehringer Ingelheim BioXcellence™

Our microbial CDMO capabilities support a wide variety of molecule formats, including:

• Antibody fragments (scFv, Fabs, VHH domain antibodies)
• Recombinant proteins and enzymes
• Scaffolds (non-antibody-derived)
• Peptide hormones
• Recombinant vaccines like virus‑like particles (VLPs)
• Plasmid DNA (pDNA)
• Other non‑glycosylated or complex microbial‑expressed molecules

If your molecule can be expressed in E. coli or yeast, our teams can develop, optimize, and scale your process.

Our microbial CDMO capabilities

Microbial development services

• Genetic engineering, cell line and strain development in E. coli and yeast
• High‑cell‑density fermentation with E. coli expression systems
• Soluble expression in E. coli with increased titers for Fabs
• Inclusion body purification techniques at clinical and commercial scale
• Chemical modifications to extend half-life, e.g. PEGylation or albumin‑fusion

Microbial manufacturing services

• 12,000 L overall production capacity for clinical and commercial supply, with two 6,000 L trains
• Protein refolding and purification-only for all kinds of recombinant proteins
• High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) at clinical and commercial scale
• Plasmid‑based gene expression systems for E. coli and yeast
• Explosion‑proof facilities to handle organic solvents for sensitive peptides
• GMP batch release testing

Microbial analytical services

• Bioassays and ELISA
• Microbiology
• Cell and Molecular Biology
• Raw material testing
• TOC and Photometry
• DNA lab
• Electrophoresis
• Chromatography
• Virology
• IPC support

Globally licensed cGMP microbial production facilities

Our microbial manufacturing facilities in Vienna are licensed by EMA, FDA, MHLW and others.

The two fermentation facilities are designed for high‑cell-density microbial processes, with a strong track record of supplying global markets. This allows for flexibility on cGMP scales from 200 L up to 4,500 L working volume.

We have commercial-scale purification columns of up to 1.8 m in diameter. Additionally, our partners benefit from our expertise in special techniques (e.g. handling organic solvents, large-scale HPLC columns, bulk lyophilization) and explosion-proof facilities for hard-to-manufacture proteins and peptides, if needed.

Advanced technologies to accelerate delivery of your products

SMART PROCESS DESIGN

Our digital, AI‑supported process modeling platform simulates and optimizes upstream and downstream operations. This reduces experimental workload, accelerates development timelines and improves process robustness. The SMART PROCESS DESIGN tool uses machine learning or mechanistic process models to analyze manufacturing processes up front, helping us to predict the right process parameters for optimal output.

CASPON® fusion technology

Our proprietary CASPON® technology for non‑platform proteins addresses the limits of current tag‑based systems and offers an efficient solution to manufacture a vast range of microbial‑expressed proteins. The CASPON® tag and enzyme help simplify process development, boost protein expression and support purification. Together with a comprehensive genetic toolbox and predictive screening, these advanced technologies bring real benefits to our partners – regardless of whether they need clinical development or market supply.

Why partner with Boehringer Ingelheim BioXcellence™?

For more than 40 years, our expertise in microbial manufacturing has yielded more than 250 molecules, from early development to commercial launch.

Blending that experience with our broad commercial expertise, our development capabilities and our state-of-the-art facilities, we can offer the whole value chain from early stage to launch and commercial supply.

Our differentiators:

• Deep technical expertise in microbial expression and complex protein purification
• Full‑service CDMO from genetic engineering to cGMP commercial supply
• Fast tech transfers (~ 12 months) with rapid onboarding of client processes into our manufacturing facilities
• End‑to‑end capabilities in development, manufacturing, in-house analytical methods and regulatory support
• Advanced digital tools for faster, more predictable transfers and process development
• Sustainable late-stage and large‑scale commercial manufacturing capacity utilizing both E. coli and yeast systems

In summary, we are an ideal, long‑term CDMO partner in microbial technologies – a commitment reflected in the voices of partners who have worked with us.

Microbial thought leadership

We are proud to be one of the thought leaders in the microbial technology space. Take a look at our featured expert content pieces on microbial or adjacent topics.

Featured expert content

Whitepaper: Accelerating microbial strain & process development [Read more >](/content/partnering/boehringer-ingelheim-bioxcellence/newsroom/microbial-cultivation-bioxcellence "Learn more about our Multifermenter system."/index.html)

Whitepaper: Scaling up cell-free ADC manufacturing [Read more >](/content/partnering/boehringer-ingelheim-bioxcellence/newsroom/adc-manufacturing "Discover how we’re shaping antibody-drug conjugate production."/index.html)

Watch the video to get a better glimpse at our microbial CDMO expertise and discover why Boehringer Ingelheim BioXcellence™ is a world-class CDMO partner for microbial biopharmaceutical contract manufacturing.

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