Thursday, September 1, 2011 Daily Archives

Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance for Bioprocess Development, Manufacturing, and Validation

Vendor Voice in this preprint from our September 2011 issue, authors from Lamdagen describe a new label-free sensor platform for bioprocess development, monitoring, and validation during therapeutic antibody manufacture. The technology, referred to as localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), is made possible through the creation and use of nanostructured metallic films. The two areas most likely to benefit from this new technology are process development and monitoring and Quality Control. More effective process development efforts can lower costs of therapeutic…

Implementation of the ASTM Standard for Manufacturing Systems Verification

Example Documents Many companies use risk assessments, yet their test protocols remain bloated and cumbersome, with a focus on protocol adherence rather than verification of system functionality. In the September 2011 issue, Peter Watler introduces the ASTM E 2500-07 international industry consensus standard for conducting risk-based design and qualification of GMP manufacturing systems.It uses risk- and science-based practices to focus on critical aspects affecting equipment systems throughout their design-qualification-operation lifecycle.This moves the process from a rigid, protocol-enforced accumulation of documentation…

Development of a Universal Influenza Vaccine

    Seasonal influenza affects millions of people around the world, with as many as 500,000 deaths annually resulting from influenza-related illnesses. The flu virus undergoes frequent and unpredictable mutations (antigenic drift and shift) that limit the ability of available strain-specific vaccines to protect the population against strains other than those specifically included in a particular season’s flue vaccine. Annual reformulation of the vaccines is needed for annual immunizations. BiondVax Pharmaceuticals Ltd., an Israeli biotechnology company, is developing a universal…

Expanding Emerging Market Access Through Regulatory Strategy

    The growth potential for biopharmaceutical companies in emerging markets is no secret. By 2015, up to 35% of the global biopharmaceutical market will be in China and other developing countries. Yet even though most companies have reset their research and development (R&D) and supply chain models to support global expansion, their regulatory submission strategies and capabilities often fall short. The number of regulatory requirements has grown exponentially as biopharmaceutical companies enter new and disparate markets, but efforts in…

Exchanging Real-World Solutions to Improve Speed, Cost, and Predictability BioProcess International Conference & Exhibition

The BioProcess International Conference is your one-stop industry resource for driving down costs; improving quality; and achieving rapid, robust, and resilient process development and manufacturing. This is where challenges are explored, solutions are uncovered, and opportunities are developed — at the largest and most highly respected event solely dedicated to biopharmaceutical manufacturing. New This Year New, unpublished data in every conference session Reports from the FDA, EMA, and leading industry players on biosimilars and biobetters Sessions on managing global manufacturing…

Global Marketplace

Resin Information Literature: Toyopearl info in French Applications: Purification of proteins, peptides, and oligonucleotides Features: Tosoh Bioscience introduces a new website and brochure featuring the Toyopearl resin portfolio for French-speaking scientists. The website overviews materials of construction and provides links to company information. The brochure covers all aspects of biochromatography for method development and larger-scale applications: size-exclusion chromatography (SEC), ion-exchange chromatography (IEC), hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC), and affinity chromatography (AFC) including protein A. Small prepacked Toyoscreen columns for rapid method…

Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance for Bioprocess Development, Monitoring, and Validation

    Academic laboratories have embraced localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) as the “new wave†of label-free technology (1). This technique is based on the ability of colloidal metal nanoparticles or nanostructured metallic films to absorb light in a narrow wavelength range. Metal nanostructures “sense†changes occurring at their surfaces by shifting the frequency of the light they absorb or reflect. As a consequence, a basic LSPR system requires only optical fibers, a source of white light, and a detector…

An Approach to Design and Performance Testing of an Impeller-Driven Single-Use Mixer

    Single-use technology is now well established for many bioprocessing unit operations, including sterile filtration and product storage, where it provides specific benefits such as elimination of cleaning and cleaning validation, reduced risk of contamination, and enclosed systems for safer handling. Recently, single-use technology has been introduced into more complex unit operations such as purification by chromatography (1), tangential-flow filtration (2), and mixing systems. More complex processing steps, however, present a challenging task for developers of single-use products. Mixing…

Meeting Increased Demands on Cell-Based Processes By Using Defined Media Supplements

Rapidly increasing demand for cell-derived products has placed huge pressures on the biomanufacturing industry’s production capacity requirements. Media development strategies continue to be a primary focus for optimizing output from cell culture systems. Animal cells used in manufacturing protein products have complex nutrient requirements specific for each cell type, clone, and product. Individual nutrient requirements were once addressed by using serum-based media rich in growth factors and supplements, which provided an optimal culture environment for cell growth and productivity (1).…

Comparing H1N1 Virus Quantification with a Unique Flow Cytometer and Quantitative PCR

    A novel influenza A (H1N1) virus was discovered in Mexico in early 2009 (1). Infections from this strain led to declaration of a pandemic midyear, with about 61 million patients and 13,000 deaths reported by the US Centers for Disease Control (2). Although the pandemic officially ended in August 2010 (3), vaccines are still in demand to protect people against the H1N1 strain that is now expected to circulate seasonally for years to come. To best respond to…