2014

A Critical Mission: Clinical Trial Material Storage and Distribution

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As if manufacturing of investigational medicinal products (IMPs) weren’t challenging enough already, the appropriate storage and distribution of sensitive biological products can be an adventurous journey itself — especially if not carefully planned and managed. No one solution fits all situations. Many things must be evaluated during planning stages. For example, what is more important: time to delivery or quality of transport and product integrity until drug can be administered to a patient? It is important to understand key storage…

September 11, 2014
Tsunami - Japan 2011

Supply Chain Challenges in the Biopharmaceutical Industry: A Case Study Following the 2011 Tsunami in Japan

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Global manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals for human use helps save the lives of millions of people and is a large commitment to public health. The industry operates in an environment with financial uncertainties and complex international supply chains, so the question of risk mitigation is paramount. There is an expectation that comprehensive risk mitigation programs should be in place to minimize the risk of supply chain interruptions that would negatively affect the manufacture of these vital therapeutics. Here we share how…

September 11, 2014

BPI Theater at the 2014 BIO Convention

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When we launched the BioProcess Theater series at the Biotechnology Industry Organization’s International Convention in 2007, we hoped that our special programming would fill a need within that event’s exhibit hall. We wanted to bring into the hall the type of technical presentations that are not generally part of the main event’s more executive-level, business-focused programming.It has therefore been especially gratifying to see our attendance growing every year — such that standing-room-only is becoming more the rule than the exception.…

September 11, 2014

Fed-Batch Cell Culture Process Development: Implementing a Novel Nutrient Additive for a Robust, High-Titer, Scalable Process

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The fed-batch culture of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells has become well established as the primary method of manufacturing therapeutic recombinant protein products for various disease indications. Fed-batch process-development approaches focus on supporting high–cell-density cultures that are crucial to achieving high product titers but lead to proportionately high nutritional demands. Exhaustion of key nutrients negatively affects cell growth and ability to produce recombinant proteins. To counter that problem, concentrated feeds are added to the culture. Such feeds tend to be…

September 11, 2014

Targeting G Protein–Coupled Receptors with Biologics for Therapeutic Use, Part 2

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In part 1, we summarized the advances made in new approaches developed to address the challenges of antigen generation for targeting G protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs). We reviewed the antibody and biologics pipeline with progress highlighted by some interesting case studies on new targets (1). Here, we conclude by reviewing progress attained with other biologics. Peptides Targeting G Protein–Coupled Receptors More than 50 peptide-based therapeutic products are commercially available, but very few of them have been derived from recombinant display technology.…

September 11, 2014
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UV-Vis Based Determination of Protein Concentration: Validating and Implementing Slope Measurements Using Variable Pathlength Technology

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No longer are scientists bound to the time-consuming, error-prone use of dilution factors and fixed-pathlength measurements in determining the concentration of an analyte in solution. Using the slope spectroscopy technique, the Solo VPE system (from C Technologies) offers a new method of determining analyte concentration based on the Beer–Lambert law and slope derived from absorbance measurements made at multiple pathlengths (1). Mathematics: The Beer–Lambert law is expressed as A = αlc, where A is the measured absorbance, α is the…

September 11, 2014

Expansion of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Using Microcarriers and Human Platelet Lysate

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Cell therapy holds the promise of delivering the next generation of future medical breakthroughs. In this respect, multipotent progenitor cells such as human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) have attracted high clinical interest because of their ability to differentiate into various cell types and their immunoregulatory properties. Furthermore, hMSCs express only low levels of class I major histocompatibility complex (MHC I) molecules on their surfaces and are therefore invisible to a host’s immune system. Finally, hMSCs can actively suppress the innate…

September 11, 2014

A Novel Solid-Media E. coli Platform: Comparison with Standard Fermentation Processes

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MicroProtein Technologies Inc. has developed the MPTxpress high-yield, low‑cost, recombinant Escherichia coli manufacturing platform. Rather than using liquid culture media within stirred bioreactors, the system uses trays filled with semisolid (gelled) culture media overlaid with or without a permeable membrane on which the E. coli is cultured. Compared with conventional liquid fermentation platforms, the MPTxpress system reduces the number of steps in up- and downstream processing and required infrastructure, significantly improves yields, and lowers costs. It provides simplicity for mixing…

September 11, 2014
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Why the “Central Dogma” Isn’t

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For decades, professional biology education programs, universities, community colleges, and some high schools have inoculated students with the phrase central dogma to refer to the basic paradigm that “DNA encodes RNA, which encodes for protein†(1). Although that is in large part true, we do need to break with tradition, let science take its course, and call it like it is. Background In 1970, Francis Crick’s seminal paper in Nature (“Central Dogma of Molecular Biologyâ€) was published. Eventually its premise…

September 11, 2014

Biopharma Unhappy with Suppliers’ Progress on Single-Use Hookups

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Single-use equipment vendors are failing to meet their biomanufacturing customers’ expectations in several key areas, according to BioPlan Associates’ 11th Annual Report and Survey of Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing Capacity and Production (1). The study — based on a global survey of 238 global biomanufacturers and contract manufacturing organizations, as well as 158 vendors and suppliers in 30 countries — identifies significant gaps between the perceived importance of key vendor attributes and companies’ satisfaction with their vendors regarding those attributes. One area…

September 11, 2014