Wednesday, October 10, 2018 Daily Archives

Turning over a new Leaf? Plant-based expression as a disruptor

by

Plant-based protein expression offers high yields and easy harvesting but has been held back by a lack of funding and the ubiquity of mammalian and bacterial systems, says Leaf Expression Systems. UK-based contract biopharmaceutical development firm Leaf Expression Systems has appointed Simon Saxby, a former executive at contract manufacturing organizations (CMOs) Recipharm and Cobra, as its CEO. Leaf Expression Systems offers the production of proteins, antibodies and vaccines through its Hypertrans expression system, based on tobacco plants. Saxby’s immediate focus…

October 10, 2018

Want investment and innovation? Call yourself a ‘biopharma’ firm

by

With consistent year-on-year growth of around 12%, biopharma is the ‘favored child’ of the drug industry, says BioPlan Associates’ Eric Langer. At the first BIOLive event at CPhI Worldwide in Madrid this week, Eric Langer, president and managing partner at BioPlan Associates, told delegates innovation and sales revenue have driven the divide between the biopharma (large molecule) and the traditional small molecule pharma industries. “Today’s market is around $250 billion in biopharma sales, and this is still an emerging market…

October 10, 2018

In-house investments let Synthon keep control of ADC production

by

Synthon Biopharmaceuticals chose to develop its antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) capabilities in-house to keep control of planning and product quality. Aad Van de Leur, COO of Synthon Biopharmaceuticals, spoke at KNect365’s Bioproduction Congress in Dublin, Ireland this week on the need to adapt biomanufacturing strategies and technologies for next generation therapies, using his own firm’s antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) capabilities as an example. “With the introduction of innovative high-potent biopharmaceuticals like antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) the industry had to adapt and move to…

October 10, 2018

4D bioprinting and stem cells: Firms look to alternatives to animal testing

by

Servier will use 4D bioprinting technology to imitate human liver tissue in vitro, while STEMCELL Technologies is commercializing human pluripotent stem cell-derived kidney organoids. But can these models replace animal testing in preclinical research? French drugmaker Servier has (bio)inked a deal with Poietis to use its 4D bioprinting technology for the development and production of liver tissues. The tissue will be used to imitate human liver tissue in vitro in Servier’s preclinical testing. Poietis’ technology works through the “layer-by-layer additive…

October 10, 2018