The National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL), in collaboration with the BioPhorum Operations Group (BPOG), has published a series of technology roadmaps for the biopharma industry.

The roadmaps cover manufacturing issues surrounding gene therapies, vaccines, antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and bi-specific antibodies, and are based on insight from biomanufacturers, equipment makers, suppliers, academic institutions, non-profits, and federal agencies.

They are intended to provide a clear vision of innovation for biopharmaceutical manufacturing processes and platforms and address technology needs and opportunities. These include process optimization, analytical needs, standards development, and regulatory considerations.

Image: iStock/joebelanger

NIIMBL, funded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the US. Department of Commerce but with support from industry and academic institutions, launched in March 2017 with the intention to accelerate innovation, support the development of standards to enable more efficient and rapid manufacturing capabilities, and educate and train a bioprocess workforce.

In 2017, NIIMBL teamed with the BioPhorum Operations Group (BPOG), an industry group comprising of end-users and suppliers, to help develop the roadmaps.

“We teamed with BioPhorum in order to leverage their expertise in facilitating the roadmap development process. Our collaboration also enables NIIMBL to synergize our US roadmapping efforts with the BioPhorum’s Global Technology Roadmap. The NIIMBL roadmaps will become part of the BioPhorum’s global technology roadmap.” NIIMBL spokesperson Daniel Maiese told this publication.

“As a public-private partnership, NIIMBL was able to convene subject matter experts from several stakeholders groups including manufacturers, suppliers, academic institutions, and federal government. This helped provide broad perspective and input into the technology gaps and areas of opportunities for each of these product classes.”

The roadmaps can be downloaded here.