Speakers

Dr. Wouter. W. Woud

ExoVectory

Senior Scientist

Wouter Woud is a scientist with a strong background in molecular and cellular biology, focusing on the therapeutic applications of extracellular vesicles (EVs). At ExoVectory, he is currently leading the research team with the mission to develop EVs as the next-generation tool for regenerative medicine and cell & gene therapies. With a career spanning both academic and biotech environments, Wouter brings a deep understanding of EV biology and bioprocess development. His work is driven by the ambition to translate cutting-edge research into practical, industry-ready solutions that accelerate the clinical use of EVs.

Small-scale bioreactor cultivation of HEK293-based suspension cells increases extracellular vesicle yield

This study explores the production of extracellular vesicles (EVs) using suspension-based HEK293 cells (Expi293F), a system that supports high-density, scalable cell culture. EVs hold tremendous promise as therapeutic delivery platforms and diagnostic tools, but the industry faces a major bottleneck in producing them at scale. To address this, we compared EV production in traditional shaker flask cultures versus a controlled 500 mL MiniBio reactor system (Applikon). While key cell culture readouts—such as total cell number, viability, and cell size—were comparable between cultivation conditions, bioreactor cultivation resulted in a significant increase in total EV yield without changing key EV characteristics such as size, morphology, and protein expression. These findings underscore the potential of bioreactor-based systems to enhance productivity without compromising cell health, representing a critical step toward industrial-scale EV manufacturing.

ExoVectory

Reach the Unreachable, Treat the Untreatable

ExoVectory is a biotechnology company that develops EXOSOMES as a revolutionary new type of delivery system for (gene) therapeutics. Exosomes are tiny vesicles secreted by cells of the human body with superior properties to travel over long distances, e.g. capable to reach the brain from the blood stream. ExoVectory has unique technology to load exosomes with incredibly powerful gene therapeutics, which opens novel opportunities towards treatment of a variety of diseases.

Their mission is to bring a new type of exosome precision medicines into reality, to treat patients from life-threatening and currently incurable diseases.

Visit the website of ExoVectory