The ExpiCHO Expression System is designed to deliver superior protein yields compared to alternative transient systems, saving you precious time, incubator space, and plasticware costs. Now you can express the same amount of protein in a single flask that other transient CHO systems express in 20 or more flasks.
ExpiCHO Expression System
Maintain protein quality and function from research to bioproduction
Switching from 293 to CHO cells during drug development may cost you precious time and create uncertainty. Now there’s a better way. The Gibco ExpiCHO Expression System provides the highest protein yields possible in a transient system. That means you can always work in CHO cells, starting from discovery.
“The ExpiCHO system helps speed up our developmental timelines by eliminating the need to have different hosts for transient versus stable expression. This eliminates a key quality risk when we transition from research into development.” Biotechnology company
ExpiCHO protocol video and webcasts
Review these videos to learn how to produce recombinant proteins using the ExpiCHO system and also to hear about the latest advances in protein expression from industry experts.
What’s in the system?
The ExpiCHO Expression System brings together a high-expressing CHO cell line, a chemically defined animal origin–free culture medium, an optimized culture feed, and a high-efficiency transfection reagent.
- 2 vials of frozen Gibco ExpiCHO-S Cells
- 1 liter of Gibco ExpiCHO Expression Medium
- 1 Gibco ExpiFectamine CHO Transfection Kit, sufficient to transfect 1 liter of culture
- Gibco OptiPRO Serum-Free Medium
- An antibody-expressing positive control vector
Get up to 20x more protein in less volume
“The higher titers achieved by the ExpiCHO system… saves us considerable time, effort, and money." Bonnie Hammer, PhD, Vice President of Biologics Development, Invenra
Figure 1. Recombinant protein titers in ExpiCHO and other transient CHO system. Expression levels of human IgG, rabbit IgG and erythropoietin in ExpiCHO and other transient CHO expression system are shown. ExpiCHO titers range from 25–160 times those of other transient CHO systems.
Titer comparison in ExpiCHO and Expi293 systems
Expression levels of human IgG, rabbit IgG, murine IgG, and a broad range of non-Ab proteins in Expi293 or other transient expression systems and ExpiCHO systems are shown. IgG titers in ExpiCHO system range from 0.6–97–fold (Avg. 5-fold) than those obtained using various other systems. Additionally, 7 proteins from this panel were not expressed in Expi293 cells yet expressed at high levels in the ExpiCHO system.
| Protein | Expi293 or current sytem (mg/L) | ExpiCHO (mg/L) | Fold increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human antibody | 26.6 | 2,580 | 97 |
| 4 | 147 | 33 | |
| 4 | 56 | 14.6 | |
| 22 | 266 | 12.4 | |
| 48 | 334 | 6.9 | |
| 36 | 190 | 5.3 | |
| 18 | 78 | 4.3 | |
| 85 | 314 | 3.7 | |
| 170 | 410 | 2.4 | |
| 138 | 325 | 2.4 | |
| 25 | 50 | 2.0 | |
| 102 | 204 | 2.0 | |
| 57 | 92 | 1.6 | |
| 336 | 491 | 1.5 | |
| 565 | 864 | 1.5 | |
| 450 | 600 | 1.3 | |
| 350 | 450 | 1.3 | |
| 309 | 383 | 1.2 | |
| 243 | 276 | 1.1 | |
| 352 | 371 | 1.1 | |
| 565 | 620 | 1.1 | |
| 309 | 302 | 1.0 | |
| 139 | 129 | 0.9 | |
| 11 | 9 | 0.8 | |
| 565 | 365 | 0.6 | |
| Undetectable | 500 | ||
| Precipitated | 330 |
| Protein | Expi293 or current sytem (mg/L) | ExpiCHO (mg/L) | Fold increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rabbit antibody | 5 | 120 | 20 |
| 17 | 178 | 11 | |
| Murine antibody | 216 | 1,412 | 6.5 |
| 20 | 86 | 4.3 | |
| 60 | 240 | 4.0 | |
| 60 | 240 | 4.0 | |
| 76 | 196 | 2.6 | |
| 12 | 18 | 1.5 | |
| 16 | 17 | 1.1 | |
| 119 | 48 | 0.4 | |
| 135 | 47 | 0.3 |
| Protein | Expi293 or current sytem (mg/L) | ExpiCHO (mg/L) | Fold increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bi-TE | Western blot | Western blot | 25 |
| Bi-specific | 28 | 117 | 4.2 |
| 26 | 90 | 3.5 | |
| 126 | 250 | 2.0 | |
| NA | 763 | ||
| NA | 660 | ||
| Secreted | 216 | 1412 | 6.5 |
| Protein | Expi293 or current sytem (mg/L) | ExpiCHO (mg/L) | Fold increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-Ab | 15 | 82 | 5.5 |
| Western blot | Western blot | 5.0 | |
| 164 | 68 | 0.4 | |
| NA | 206 | ||
| Fab | 85 | 366 | 4.3 |
| 10 | 10 | 1.0 | |
| FC-fusion | 5 | 8 | 1.7 |
| His Tag HLA | Undetectable | 12 | 12 |
| Viral protein | Western blot | Western blot | 3–5 |
| Cytokine | Western blot | Western blot | 5–10 |
| FcR | Western blot | Western blot | 2–3 |
ExpiCHO System cost-effectiveness
Table 1. ExpiCHO is cost-effective compared to other transient expression systems.
NOTE: Cost comparison based on list price in USD and protein yields of 1.5 g/L with ExpiCHO system, 1 g/L with Expi293 system, and 0.05 g/L with FreeStyle CHO system.
| ExpiCHO Expression System | Expi293 Expression System | FreeStyle CHO Expression System | PEI MAX + TransFx-C | MaxCyte + TransFx-C | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost of 1L transfection | $2,174 | $1,735 | $1,201 | $544 | $2,999 |
| Culture volume for equivalent yield | 70 mL | 100 mL | 2,000 mL | 1,500 mL | 100 mL |
| Total cost for same amount of protein | $146 | $174 | $2,403 | $2,403 | $997* |
| *Factors in minimum cost of a MaxCyte processing assembly and a portion of the upfront cost of purchasing a MaxCyte electroporation instrument. | |||||
Choose a system that flexes to fit every phase of your development process
The ExpiCHO Expression System provides multiple protocols to fit your workflow. The system can scale up or down based on your needs for greater throughput early in discovery or higher yields as you focus on selected proteins.
“The ExpiCHO system is so easy it takes less work than making proteins in E. coli. The scalability of the system is fantastic. I can express 30 different mAbs simultaneously, and then pick the ones I like and scale up to grams. The ExpiCHO system is a revolutionary lifesaver for us.” Arjen van den Berg, PhD, Senior Scientist, Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California at San Diego
Figure 2. Scalability of the ExpiCHO System. The ExpiCHO System is scalable within 15% of control from 35 mL to 1 L culture volumes.
Figure 3. Transient transfection protocol—7 or 8 steps to protein production. The ExpiCHO system allows you to customize your work with a choice of 3 different protocols depending on your unique research needs, time, and equipment availability.
Thermo Scientific Nalgene sterile single-use Erlenmeyer flasks
Sterile, single-use Thermo Scientific Nalgene flasks are made from light, break-resistant, crystal-clear PETG, so you can express with confidence. All sizes are available in vented or non-vented formats, and with plain or baffled bottoms for use on the benchtop or shaker table. See protocol for flasks validated with ExpiCHO Expression system.
Ordering information
For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.