No segment of the biotechnology industry has received more public scrutiny than agricultural biotech — except maybe its application to food. And none has been subject to more “hype†and high hopes for instant results than biofuels. By contrast, industrial biotechnology seems almost invisible to the public at large. In general, the more immediate the effects on consumers, the more likely they are to pay attention and either laud or loathe the associated technology. The general public…
Author Archives: BPI Contributor
A World of Possibilities
Biotechnology truly is global, with some form of the industry in progress on every continent but Antarctica. Countries such as Brazil are even outpacing Europe and North America in the advancement of biofuels technology. But as in the developed world where this industry began, we see other countries looking first and foremost to the medical applications of biotech — because historically that’s where the money has been. Some countries are building their own fully integrated bioindustrial sectors.…
Pursuing Excellence
As new medicines, vaccines, biomaterials, and biofuels move through development, companies often face some of their toughest hurdles in moving from benchtop to production-scale processes. These are not only technological, but as technology advances it becomes more difficult to find experienced talent to make use of it. Some regional endeavors, such as the National Biomanufacturing Centre in the United Kingdom and the Massachusetts Biomanufacturing Center in the United States are pooling skills and resources to help companies…
TIDES
For 2009, TIDES renews its focus on science. The agenda was put together by leaders in oligonucleotide and peptide development and manufacturing. The result is a program with novel, in-depth scientific data in each presentation. The agenda once again includes comprehensive coverage of drug candidates in development; new strategies for formulation and delivery; and the latest in regulatory updates, quality initiatives, process and analytical development, and manufacturing. This allows you the opportunity to benchmark your progress against that of your…
Biologics New and Improving
By far the most successful applications of biotechnology have been in the medical field. The vaccine industry is undergoing a complete transformation thanks to biotechnology. And cutting-edge research is giving us whole new ideas about disease therapy using nucleic acids and regenerative medicine. Proteins and Other Therapeutics Cancer has been a primary target for many MAb “magic bullets” and a major research area for life scientists over the past quarter-century. Oncologists have identified ∼200 cancers that affect human beings, some…
Global Marketplace
Point-of-Use Filtration Product: SFE filter cartridges with -222 O-ring adapters Application: Small-batch processing of liquids and gases Features: New high-performance, small-flow–element filter cartridges with optional -222 O-ring adapters come in 2.5-in. (6.4-cm) or 5-in. (12.7-cm) lengths. They are designed for point-of-use filtration and small-batch processing of liquids and gases with flow requirements 10 log reduction of Acholoplasma laidlawii at 107 cfu per mL. Laser barcodes simplify data capture. The filters are available in sheet, cartridge, and capsule formats. Contact Pall…
An Industry in Transition
As an industry, biopharmaceutical manufacturing is in transition and is facing challenges borne out of success. It was in the early 1980s that the first products were commercialized, namely the replacement hormones insulin and human growth hormone. The industry initially grew rapidly in the early ‘80s against a background of an immature supply industry: there were no large-scale columns (>10 cm diameter), column controllers, limited resin supplies and no established ultrafiltration technology. The position today is that the industry has…
IBC’s 18th InternationalBiological Assay Development and Valiation
Biological assays continue to be considered the “quality” assay for biopharmaceuticals. Companies often ignore their importance and find themselves on clinical hold in phase 2 — or worse, in phase 3 — because their biological assays do not meet current expectations. (Usually there are performance, robustness, and/or specificity problems.) This is the conference to find out the newest technical, regulatory, and practical trends for the all-important biological assays. IBC’s 18th International Bioassay meeting has it all. Get the tools you…
Global Marketplace
Disposable Clamps Product: 6″ and 8″ BioClamps Applications: Biomanufacturing Features: In addition to the 0.5″ to 4″ family range of disposable BioClamp products, BioPure Technology now offers 6″ and 8″ sizes. They meet the requirements of media transportation for light weight, strength, and easy manipulation. Two wing-nuts provide even compression across the entire circumference for a secure and safe seal, with the added benefit of perforation to facilitate tamper-proof ties. Underside-molded lot numbers ease traceability, and clamps…
Implementing Cost Reduction Strategies for HuMab Manufacturing Processes
The combination of innovative and traditional process technologies has resulted in major advancements in the antibody industry, such as accelerated process development and time-to-market. In addition, this paper examines the avenues that have opened as a result of exploring established process technologies for new applications, as in the case of perfusion cell cultures to amplify dhfr-based expression cell lines by incrementally increasing selection markers in the perfusion medium for the faster generation of stable and high-productivity clones. Furthermore,…