Samanta Cimitan, speaker at Single-Use Event Basel 2026: Next generation technologies reshape biomanufacturing

“The biopharmaceutical industry is shifting away from large volume blockbuster production toward a broader range of complex molecule types,” Cimitan explains. “These products require smaller, more adaptable manufacturing setups rather than traditional large scale facilities. As a CDMO, Celonic is not just adapting to this new landscape — we’re helping to shape the industry and set the pace for the next generation of biomanufacturing.”

The bigger picture

Before entering the CDMO world, Cimitan made a pivotal transition from academic research to the pharmaceutical industry. After earning her PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences and spending several years in research, she realized she wanted a broader perspective on how scientific discoveries become real treatments.

“I didn’t see where all our beautiful products from the lab ended up,” she recalls. “I wanted to understand how our science transforms into medicines that truly help patients.”

This curiosity led her into industry, first joining CIBA Specialty Chemicals, where she worked on advanced protein purification alternatives. After more than twelve years at Lonza, she joined Celonic, drawn by its pioneering work in biopharma manufacturing.

“Many years ago, Celonic was already exploring full perfusion — a next generation bioprocessing approach. That caught my attention,” she says. “Pharma often moves cautiously in adopting new technologies, but here I saw a strong scientific foundation and deep expertise in modern bioprocessing. I wanted to help unleash that potential.”

About Celonic

For many years, Celonic was primarily development focused. Under the leadership of Cimitan, it has evolved into a full development and manufacturing partner for mid sized biotech and emerging pharmaceutical companies.

The company was acquired by JRS in 2011 and expanded further with the 2017 acquisition of a GMP site in Heidelberg — now home to a new, state of the art 6×2 kL single use production facility. Today, Celonic employs more than 550 people, split between Basel (headquarter of the group and home to the Biologics Development Center) and Heidelberg (GMP manufacturing site).

Heidelberg serves as a commercial manufacturing hub for antibodies, including biosimilars and bio originators, while Basel operates one of Europe’s most advanced high throughput bioprocess labs focused on process development, process conversion, and bioprocessing innovation.

“We specialize exclusively in CHO cell based processes, aiming to maximize overall productivity ,” says Cimitan. “Producing more product with fewer cells allows us to significantly reduce cost of goods — a critical advantage for biosimilar developers facing strong price pressure. We are agile and highly collaborative as an organization, focusing on what matters most of our partners to support the therapies they are bringing to the market”.

The power of single use technology

According to Celonic, portability and flexibility define the next generation of biomanufacturing. “That’s exactly what single use platforms deliver,” she notes. “They enable a true scale out approach, allowing processes to be executed flexibly in modular setups without the need for large, fixed installations. This gives CDMOs the agility to start small and expand capacity seamlessly as products advance through clinical stages.”

Instead of scaling up to one large reactor, modern CDMOs can run multiple smaller, integrated systems in parallel. The approach minimizes capital expenditure, shortens changeover times, and eliminates the need for extensive cleaning and sterilization — lowering water and energy consumption while maximizing uptime.

“Ultimately, this model combines efficiency, sustainability, and affordability,” she concludes. “By reducing costs and increasing productivity and flexibility, we make biopharmaceutical manufacturing more accessible — bringing innovative biologic medicines to more patients around the world.”