Avantor has teamed up with Ireland’s National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training (NIBRT) to develop solutions for “bottlenecks” that increase the cost and time it takes to make biopharmaceuticals. The collaboration – financial terms of which were not provided – will see Avantor install in-line dilution systems at NIBRT’s facility in Dublin, Ireland. The idea is to provide technicians with hands-on experience of the technology according to Killian O’Driscoll, NIBRT director of projects. “The in-line dilution technology will be…

Vetter says the use of artificial intelligence will become ever more specific in the biopharma production space and plans to use robotics in aseptic processes. German fill/finish and pharma services firm Vetter has completed a pilot project using a dual-arm robot in secondary packaging. “Robotics have been widespread in pharmaceutical manufacturing for many years. At Vetter, for example, we have been using classical robotics in our pharmaceutical production since the 1990’s,” Vetter spokesperson Markus Kirchner told this publication. “We see…

Algenex says its insect pupae-based expression platform CrisBio could disrupt the biologics space as the EMA receives the first submission for a vaccine using the technology. Earlier this month, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) accepted a submission to review for a recombinant virus like particle (VLP)-based vaccine produced using Algenex’ proprietary CrisBio technology. While the dossier submitted was for a veterinary vaccine, Algenex said this first submission helps validate the CrisBio platform and demonstrates the potential of the baculovirus-based expression…

Process intensification is driving down costs in the biologics space, but manufacturing firms need to treat vendors like partners and not simply suppliers, says Bristol-Myers Squibb. Process intensification emerged as one of the hot topics at Biotech Week Boston last month. There were multiple talks and discussions looking at strategies such as perfusion-based cell culture, multicolumn chromatography in the downstream, and the increased use of analytical technologies aimed at intensifying manufacturing processes. Ciaran Brady, executive director of Manufacturing, Science and…

Thermo Fisher has reported another quarter of double-digit in its life sciences division attributing its competitive strength to its diversified offering. For the third quarter 2019, Thermo Fisher reported sales of $6.3 billion (€5.7 billion), up 6% year-on-year. Within the firm’s Life Sciences Solutions Segment division, which includes bioprocess equipment and its biomanufacturing business, revenues grew 13% to $1.7 billion. Last quarter, analysts claimed the “bioprocessing ecosystem [was] on fire,” and another period of double-digit growth, for Thermo Fisher at…

In a letter to customers, Pall Corporation has revealed the exact businesses and products it is selling to Sartorius to facilitate Danaher’s acquisition of GE Biopharma. Last week, Danaher Corporation announced plans to divest parts of its bioprocessing businesses to help facilitate the $21.4 billion (€19.2 billion) takeover of GE Healthcare’s Life Sciences business. The firm said rival bioprocess vendor Sartorius is in line to pick up its biomolecular characterization business FortéBio, its SoloHill microcarrier technology unit, and various chromatography…

Merck KGaA unit MilliporeSigma has boosted its CAR-T autologous manufacturing services by buying FloDesign Sonics, adding an acoustic cell processing platform. MilliporeSigma, the life sciences division of Germany’s Merck, says it intends to offer the tech platform of its new acquisition to cell therapy manufacturing customers. Massachusetts-based FloDesign Sonics’ first commercial product, Ekko, allows the wash, concentration and formulation is based on its acoustic wave separation (AWS) system that uses a three-dimensional standing wave that traps and gathers cells in…

Glenmark Pharmaceuticals says it has integrated Horizon’s GS knockout CHO K1 platform into its cell line portfolio and will use it to develop future monoclonal antibodies. After what Glenmark Pharmaceuticals said was a “stringent evaluation of the cell line,” the drugmaker has licensed Horizon Dscovery’s gene-edited Glutamine Synthetase (GS) knockout Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) K1 cell line. According to a Glenmark spokesperson, Horizon’s CHO-based cell line demonstrated consistently impressive performance, with high levels of productivity, favorable stability profile, and transparent…