MicroDigital's Disco Pang Pang-inspired bioreactors debut in US

MicroDigital Co., a bio-instrument and diagnostic kit manufacturer, is set to launch single-use bioreactors in the US, marking the first shipment of such devices by a South Korean company to the world’s largest biotech market.

It will unveil the product at Interphex New York 2025, the world’s largest biotechnology equipment trade show that will run from April 1 to 3 and market them in partnership with Parker Hannifin Corp.

"After three years of preparation, including the regulatory approval process, our single-use cell culture bioreactor will land in the US under the brand name of 'Orbtec',” Kim Kyungnam, chief executive of MicroDigital, said in an interview with The Korea Economic Daily on Monday.

They will be marketed by the world's largest industrial materials and equipment manufacturer, Parker Hannifin.

Cell culture bioreactors are essential equipment for manufacturing antibody-based biopharmaceuticals such as treatments for autoimmune diseases and anticancer drugs.

Orbtec will be supplied to global pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer Inc. and Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), as well as research institutes in the US. Industry sources said the orders MicoDigital has secured for its bioreactors would have reached several tens of millions of dollars.

“I got the idea from watching the Disco Pang Pang ride – the one that spins around while bouncing up and down,” said Kim.

INDUSTRY SHAKE-UP

The US debut of Orbtec is expected to upend the global bioreactor market dominated by the “Big Three” – US-based Cytiva, formerly GE Healthcare Life Sciences; Thermo Fisher Scientific; and Germany’s Sartorius.

MicroDigital is the only company in Asia with proprietary technology for manufacturing single-use cell incubators. It is the first in the world to apply a rotational stirring technique that evenly mixes the cell culture medium, significantly maximizing production yield.

The US market for single-use bioreactors and related test bags is projected to grow by 50% from 5 trillion won ($3.4 billion) in 2024 to 7.5 trillion won by 2026.

PARTNERSHIP WITH PARKER HANNIFIN

The Kosdaq-listed company has also agreed to be the exclusive supplier of cell culture bags – consumables used in single-use bioreactors – to Parker Hannifin. The US equipment maker is expanding into healthcare and life science sectors beyond aerospace and defense markets.

An analyst at a domestic securities firm said that Parker Hannifin could purchase MicroDigital’s bioreactor manufacturing technology for a large sum as demand for antibody-based drugs is on the rise.

“If that happens, MicroDigital would receive substantial royalties every year," he added.

EXPANSION INTO INDIA, EUROPE

MicroDigital's single-use bioreactors are also set to land in India. In December, it signed an agreement with an Indian industrial device and consumables distributor to supply its bioreactors and test bags to Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, in a $780,000 deal.

It is also in negotiations with other Indian companies to secure new orders, while seeking to venture into Europe this year.

“This year, exports will jump to 50% of our sales from 23% last year,” Kim added.

Write to Dae-Kyu Ahn at powerzanic@hankyung.com

Yeonhee Kim edited this article.