Q&A with Scientific Advisor Dennis Kraichely How long have you worked for your current employer, and where did you work before that? When and why did you get involved in the biotechnology industry? What interested you the most about it? Since 2001, I have worked for Centocor R&D, Inc. (a Johnson & Johnson Company) located in the greater Philadelphia, PA area. Prior to that I worked in cardiovascular discovery research at Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals in Cincinnati, OH. Being trained…
Author Archives: BPI Contributor
Reducing Microbial Contamination Risk in Biotherapeutic Manufacturing
The risk of contamination (especially microbiological) is always an area for special attention in biopharmaceutical processes. No matter the process stage, whether upstream of a bioreactor or in the final filling of a sterile product, effective contamination control continues to be a critical requirement, so any opportunities for improvement may justify further investigation. Even with established validated processes, demands for higher purity and increased sterility assurance may require manufacturers to reassess their procedures and technologies. New processes present an even…
Recovery and Purification
Q&A with the Scientific Advisors CHARLES SCHMELZER senior scientist in late-stage purification at Genentech, Inc. How long have you worked for your current employer, and where did you work before that? What degrees do you hold, and from where? I have been working at Genentech since September 1987. I have a BS degree (chemistry) from Rutgers University (Cook College) and a PhD degree (biochemistry) from North Carolina State University. UWE GOTTSCHALK vice president of purification technology at Sartorius Stedim Biotech…
Poster Presentations
Production and Economics Friedrich Nachtmann, head of biotech cooperations in biopharmaceuticals at Sandoz GmbH NAFT: Npro Autoprotease Fusion Technology Microbial expression systems play an important role in the biopharmaceutical industry. A robust, scalable, and well-understood process, reduced development times, and competitive costs are requirements for successful manufacturing. In cooperation with the Austrian Center of Biopharmaceutical Technology, Sandoz has developed a platform Escherichia coli expression technology that provides high expression levels and rapid process development for a broad range of peptides…
Manufacturing Patient-Specific Cell Therapy Products
Several cellular therapies are currently progressing through clinical development with the potential to address unmet medical needs affecting millions of patients. As cell-based therapeutics receive regulatory approval and reach the market, the primary challenge will quickly become manufacturing such products in sufficient volume to meet demand. Aastrom Biosciences has developed tissue-repair cell (TRC) technology for use in autologous, patient-specific cellular therapy (PSCT) and is conducting late-stage clinical trials both in the United States and Europe. TRCs are derived from a…
Third International
Over the past 25 years, the biopharmaceutical industry has transformed itself from a largely R&D enterprise to a global product economy with rapidly growing sales and regulatory approvals worldwide. Some 125 new biologics are expected to hit the market in the next 10 years. This transition from R&D to manufacturing has placed an enormous strain on existing biomanufacturing expertise and production capacity. India presents a huge opportunity for biopharm companies trying to meet this challenge with its competitive labor cost,…
Products, Services, and Literature
Automated Welding Product: M200 orbital welding system Application: Welding power supply Features: The orbital welding system M200 power supply offers ease of use, portability, and 200 amp capability, all at a weight of less than 50 lbs (23 kg). A high-resolution, 12.1-in. (307-mm) color industrial touch screen gives users a simple, intuitive pathway to enter weld programs. Users can choose from one of three forms to enter weld programs, including automatic weld schedule programming. Contact: Swagelok Company www.swagelok.com RNA Purification…
The Orphan Drug Program
It’s been a quarter-century since the Orphan Drug Act became law in 1983. An orphan drug is any therapeutic, vaccine, or blood product that treats a rare disease or condition (one with fewer than 200,000 US patients). Such drugs may be new products or those already approved for other diseases but discovered to treat a rare disease. Drug sponsors must apply for orphan drug designation through the US FDA (1). Similiar status may be obtained in Europe through the EMEA’s…
Process Supplements for Optimized Fed-Batch Culture Systems
Figure 1. Fed-batch versions of stirred-tank cell culture have become most popular at large scales. The primary driver of a mid-run addition of nutrients to batch cultures is to increase the quantity of product harvested. The prevalence of fed-batch over other modes is attributable to many practical factors such as reliability, scalability, and application latitude. Increases in the integral of viable cell concentration and volumetric productivity are commonly the greatest improvements obtained (1). Factors determining optimum feeding of cultures include…
Avecia Biologics: Development Expertise. Manufacturing Excellence.
Avecia’s industry-leading expertise enables customers to improve the cost-effectiveness and profitability of new therapies, while maintaining fast-track progress into, and through, their clinical development programme. Process Development and Scale Up Avecia’s experience ensures that process development is applied appropriately dependent upon the development needs of customer products at different clinical stages. Expression in E. coli and yeast, including Pichia pastoris and Saccharomyces cervisiae Wide range of constructs and expression options including developing a customer’s existing system or creating one de-novo…