Author Archives: BPI Contributor

FAQs: Challenging host cell protein assays for improved risk mitigation

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Host cell proteins (HCP) are critical to quality control in biologics development. If left unremoved, they can cause immunogenic responses and reduce drug efficacy. In our last webinar we shared Cytiva’s strategy for designing a comprehensive HCP risk mitigation strategy. We discussed how to challenge your assays early to ensure accurate measurements, build confidence, and reduce the risk of unexpected HCP levels. Our HCP experts highlighted and responded to the most common questions raised around host cell protein assays. Want…

January 22, 2021

Fragment-Based Screening in Drug Discovery: How to Improve Hit Rates & Deliver Higher-Value Targets

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Learn about the basics of fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD), one of the most valuable approaches to small molecule screening and now even more widely used today by pharma companies than high-throughput screening (HTS) HTS’s main limitations — low success rates for more challenging targets, high level of false positives, and the size of the compound libraries — are propelling the use of FBDD. This change is also driven by the rise in the number of explorative targets, which demands not…

December 18, 2020

The Watershed Moment for ADCs Has Arrived — Now, CDMO Selection Is the Last Barrier

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As far back as 10 years ago, antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs) were being talked about as the next big breakthrough in pharmaceuticals due to their highly targeted approach to therapies, especially in areas such as oncology. When Adcetris (brentuximab vedotin) became the second ADC approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2011, it was predicted to be a watershed moment when the floodgates would open for more approvals and novel ADC approaches. Despite that possibility, the approval of…

December 17, 2020

Ask the Expert: Predicting Viral Clearance During Downstream Development

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Until recently, downstream process development (PD) teams have lacked methods for easy, effective, and economical estimation of a process’s viral clearance capability. David Cetlin (senior director of R&D at Cygnus Technologies) delivered an “Ask the Expert” presentation on 13 October 2020 describing how MockV kits containing noninfectious mock-virus particles (MVPs) could fill that gap. Cetlin’s Presentation Viral clearance studies tend to be outsourced to contract research organizations (CROs) because they require biosafety level (BSL)-2 and -3 facilities for working with…

December 17, 2020

AAV Suspension Platform Generations: Continuous Improvement Leading to Increased Viral Vector Titer and Yield

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This webcast features: Yiyu Dong, Head of Cell Line Development, and David Barnard, Senior Scientist, Process and Technology Development, WuXi Advanced Therapies The field of gene therapy has experienced significant growth in recent years. Adenoassociated virus (AAV)–mediated therapies account for ~70% of the gene therapy market. However, the manufacturing capacity for AAV vectors remains a critical bottleneck. WuXi Advanced Therapies launched a world-class AAV suspension platform early 2020. In this webinar, we will reveal the improvements that increased viral vector…

December 16, 2020

Enabling Vaccine Production: Solving Challenges

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Vaccine developers are in need of more efficient and cost-effective approaches to manufacturing. To achieve this, we actively collaborate with academia, researchers and manufacturers to develop and optimize innovative tools, processes and strategies to resolve bottlenecks and accelerate the availability of vaccines to the global population. This e-book contains a series of case studies highlighting our recent collaborations with organizations and thought leaders on the front lines of the battle against challenging pathogens. From proof-of-concept to full commercial-scale manufacturing, discover…

December 16, 2020

Exploring New and Improved Analytical Methods for Traditional and Unique Modalities

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This webcast features: Jason Sterling, Principal Scientist and Project Director, Analytical and Formulation Resources, and John Rockwell, Group Leader, Catalent Pharma Solutions Biophysical characterization is critical to understand the make-up and behaviors of biologic therapies and vaccines both early in development and throughout the manufacturing scale-up process. As biologics become more complex in structure, and as scientists improve their understanding of the effects of structure on stability, efficacy, safety, etc., there is a need to develop new and improved analytical…

December 11, 2020

Single-Use Systems: Globalizing Best Practices and Technology Specifications

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The challenges of multi-national bioprocessing operations are numerous. They include finding highly skilled experts for each site, lack of expertise with single-use systems, contamination risks and redundant efforts and resources—all of which can lead to higher costs. But these challenges also present opportunities for increasing speed to market, eliminating redundant work and overall cost savings. This white paper details the best practices used in global drug manufacturing. The key is global coordination. Best practices and specifications need to be identified…

December 8, 2020

Analytical Ultracentrifugation for Characterization of AAV Gene Delivery Vectors

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This webcast features: Christopher Sucato, PhD, Associate Director, Biophysical Characterization, and Cynthia Swanson, Associate Research Scientist, Charles River Laboratories Analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC) has been a staple in the biopharmaceutical industry to analyze aggregation and higher-order structure in protein drug products. With the recent boom in cell and gene therapies using gene-delivery vectors, new avenues for AUC-based characterization and QC lot release methodologies are now available. View this webinar for a discussion on the new parameters of AUC analysis and how…

December 8, 2020

Keep Your HCPs Under Control

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When it comes to manufacturing biologics, managing host cell protein (HCP) levels is essential. A robust HCP strategy can help protect both your timeline and budget. Cytiva understands the challenges researchers face in HCP detection, quantification, and removal. We offer an end-to-end solution for HCP management, and our experts will work with you to find the right strategy tailored to your needs. To get started now, check out our knowledge center for expertise and advice on enhancing your HCP strategy.

December 4, 2020