Friday, March 1, 2013 Daily Archives

Polishing of Monoclonal Antibodies Using Captoâ„¢ adhere ImpRes in Bind and Elute Mode

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MAbs and MAb conjugates are today in great demand for use as biopharamaceuticals. As a result, more cost-effective, efficient, and flexible process purification schemes are one of the highest priorities for MAb manufacturers. In this work, results from two case studies using Capto adhere ImpRes, a multimodal anion exchanger designed for polishing, are presented. Two different MAbs were purified in bind and elute mode. The results show high yields of MAb monomers, good clearance of aggregates, HCP, and leached protein…

March 1, 2013

Going Paperless from Lab to Plant

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The drive to “go paperless†is a strategic initiative that offers demonstrable operational benefits in improving productivity, reducing cycle times and leveraging experimental and operational data along the entire research-development-manufacturing continuum. This technology brief reviews recent initiatives by science-based organizations to develop and deploy software that spans the lab-to-commercialization lifecycle using data standardization/harmonization technology and electronic lab notebooks (ELNs) to streamline technology transfer. Organizations adopting these proven informatics solutions can experience: Enhanced productivity Faster time to market Improved compliance More…

March 1, 2013

Characterization of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells

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Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) are a self-renewing population of adherent, multipotent progenitor cells that can differentiate into several lineages. The current definition of MSCs includes adherence to standard tissue culture plastic ware, expression of various surface antigens, and multilineage in vitro differentiation potential (osteogenic, chondrogenic, and adipogenic). hMSCs hold great promise as therapeutic agents because of their potential ability to replace damaged tissue and their immunomodulatory properties. Consequently, many clinical trials using hMSCs are currently under way in a…

March 1, 2013

Deal-Making in the Biosimilars Market

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Driven by significant opportunity and a perceived lower risk strategy for taking a slice of the booming biologics market, companies have been investing heavily in biosimilars to capitalize on a market that’s forecast to be worth US$3.5 billion by 2015. To exploit this opportunity, companies have embarked on a hearty meal of deal-making. Since the biosimilar market’s formal inception in Europe in 2005, deal flow has been solid. Generics companies made early forays, seeking to leverage relationships with payers and…

March 1, 2013

PEGS The Essential Protein Engineering Summit 29 April – 3 May 2013 — Seaport World Trade Center (Boston, MA)

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This spring, Cambridge Healthtech Institute (CHI) will host its ninth annual PEGS: The Essential Protein Engineering Summit at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston, MA. Record attendance is expected in 2013. Its growth and success is attributable to the quality of scientific programming, expanded exhibit hall, and ample networking opportunities. In addition to the new venue on Boston’s waterfront, the 2013 PEGS event now offers six programming streams and 16 conferences in protein and antibody engineering, oncology, expression, analytical,…

March 1, 2013

Advocating an Evolution

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In a 2006 report, the US Department of Health and Human Services hailed regenerative medicine as “the vanguard of 21st century healthcare” and “the first truly interdisciplinary field that utilizes and brings together nearly every field in science” (1). To fuel support for regulatory, legislative, and reimbursement initiatives in this new therapeutic class, a small group of scientists, life science business executives, patient advocates, and other experts formed the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM, http://alliancerm.org). Starting with 17 charter members,…

March 1, 2013

Tunable Half-Life Technology

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While a constantly developing market puts increasing pressure on pharmaceutical companies to provide advanced and personalized therapies, the industry is investing heavily in the development of targeted biologics. The aim is often to take new therapeutics through clinical trials and to market as quickly as possible and to develop more novel, tailored drugs. One common challenge for many biologics is their short plasma half-life. That often leads to reduced bioavailability, meaning that an administered drug will clear from a patient’s…

March 1, 2013

Downstream Technology Landscape for Large-Scale Therapeutic Cell Processing

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The cell therapy industry (CTI) is poised to grow rapidly over the next decade, treating millions of patients and generating annual revenues into the tens of billions of US dollars (1, 2). To meet that high-growth demand, large CTI system manufacturers (e.g., Corning, Nunc/Nalgene, and GE Healthcare) and leading contract manufacturing organizations (CMOs, such as Lonza) are developing and integrating new upstream technology platforms such as gas-permeable membranes and microcarrier-based bioreactors to significantly increase therapeutic cell culture productivity. As those…

March 1, 2013

A Statistical Approach to Expanding Production Capacity

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Contract manufacturer DSM Biologics — at its current good manufacturing practices (CGMP) facility in Groningen, The Netherlands — provides services for clinical development and commercial production based on mammalian cell culture technology (Photo 1). During the 2011–2012 year, the facility went through a major expansion project to enlarge its capacity and fulfill a growing customer demand. From a business point of view, the project had a well-defined target for future production capacity as well as investment volume. Photo 1: Photo…

March 1, 2013

Global Evolution of Biomanufacturing

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Biomanufacturing of human therapeutics is beginning a global transformation. New technologies, improved processes, the emergence of biosimilars, and growing worldwide demand for vaccines and biologic drugs to serve local populations are driving this transformation. Over the next few years, diverse new markets will open, creating opportunities for a range of companies seeking to enter the field while putting pressure on established biomanufacturers to reassess their operating models. Many traditional barriers-to-entry in biomanufacturing are diminishing. Yet other challenges — including access…

March 1, 2013