Saturday, January 7, 2023

ETB-BISLIFE: a smooth transition to a new supplier with Westburg Life Sciences

ETB-BISLIFE shares positive experiences about a smooth transition to Capricorn Media 

Medium 199 is a crucial product for the preservation of donated human heart valves at the Heart Valve Department of the multi tissue centre ETB-BISLIFE. All processes have been strictly validated according to the highest standards and to ensure the safety of patients. Therefore, it is challenging to switch to other products or manufacturers. When the previous manufacturer announced to discontinue the production of Medium 199 last year, the Heart Valve Department at ETB-BISLIFE was unpleasantly surprised. 

A laboratory technician of the Heart Valve Department at ETB-BISLIFE at work in the clean room.


 Antoon van den Bogaerdt, head of the Heart Valve Department at ETB-BISLIFE shares his experiences: ‘Westburg Life Sciences, with whom we have worked for many years, took up the effort to look for a replacement manufacturer for Medium 199 when our previous manufacturer discontinued their production of Medium 199. Westburg Life Sciences, in collaboration with Capricorn Scientific has managed to produce the new Medium 199 according to the exact same recipe, to ensure a smooth and efficient transition, and regulatory compliance.
ETB-BISLIFE and Westburg Life Sciences provided all needed documentation and as a result of all efforts, the new Medium 199 was approved by the Paul Ehrlich Institute. This also secured the availability of tissues from the Heart Valve Department at ETB-BISLIFE to patients in German hospitals.’ 



About the process 

Post-mortem donated human hearts are received and processed by the Heart Valve Department at ETB-BISLIFE in Beverwijk, the Netherlands. This process involves the dissection of the heart’s major blood vessels and preparation of heart valves and vascular tissues by highly skilled laboratory technicians. The ultimate goal is to prepare tissue for life-saving transplantation.  

To ensure donor tissue's biological safety, the Heart Valve Department at ETB-BISLIFE adheres to some of the strictest regulations possible in accordance with national and European regulations. Medium 199 is serum-free artificial medium that aims to maintain cell viability, which is considered a critical feature for the preservation and transplantation of cellularized human heart valves and vascular conduits. During various steps in the process, the Heart Valve Department at ETB-BISLIFE uses Medium 199 to rinse the donor tissue and to immerse the donor tissue during the decontamination with antibiotics. Medium 199 is also used together with a cryoprotectant, to cryopreserve the tissues for long-term storage, thereby ensuring the availability of donor tissue when needed. In this process, the Heart Valve Department at ETB-BISLIFE uses an average of 1 to 1.5 liter of Medium 199 per prepared heart. 

At Westburg Life Science we are proud to have the opportunity to collaborate closely with our customers and suppliers when it is needed the most. Account manager at Westburg Life Sciences, Martijn Rotteveel adds: ‘We’ve achieved our main goal, ensuring that the work of the Heart Valve Department at ETB-BISLIFE can continue to help saving lives...’ 

Storage of Capricorn Medium 199 Bottles.©ETB-BISLIFE (all pictures on this page) 

More information?

Do you want to know more about this high-quality medium which meets all wishes and specifications for the perfect execution of your research or activities in the lab?  
Contact Vincent de Maat, inside sales and scientific support for an appointment.
Vincent de Maat - scientific support & inside sales

Email: v.demaat@westburg.eu 

Phone: +31 (0)334946666 

Inside sales & scientific support  

Or take a look at the complete Capricorn product overview here.