The price per patient for protein-based and monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapies runs into thousands of dollars per patient each year. These therapies cost considerably more to manufacture than small molecules. Hence, if mammalian or insect cell lines expressing high protein titres can be selected and optimized for protein expression using microscale bioreactor models early in development, then manufacturing costs can be reduced significantly…
Category: <span>Regulatory</span>
For the ongoing 2014 Ebola virus outbreak, all viable options and technologies need to be evaluated as potential countermeasures to address this emerging biological threat. Novavax, Inc. has a rapid, practical vaccine development and manufacturing platform with the capability to deliver clinical trial material and, ultimately, commercial doses in response to novel infectious disease agents. This report describes the application of our platform technology for the successful generation, manufacture, and release of a clinical batch of Zaire ebolavirus glycoprotein nanoparticle vaccine three months from project initiation…
This paper describes how a biopharmaceutical product development effort can be structured to identify, understand, and plan activities and goals required to efficiently and rapidly deliver new products and therapies to patients. Although the paper focuses on manufacturing, the approach can be used for all aspects of pharmaceutical product development from establishing an intellectual property position, developing a comprehensive manufacturing plan, to creating a marketing program…
Stem cell-based regenerative medicine has great potential to advance the therapeutic treatment of human diseases. Among the various stem cell platforms, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) represent one of the most promising options. Currently, there are over 500 clinical trials based on MSCs registered at the NIH’s ClinicalTrials.gov website. Although successful expansion of MSCs in vitro has been well-established, higher-yield, billion-cell expansion of MSCs remains a bottleneck. In this study, we successfully demonstrated large-scale culture of human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AdMSCs) in an industrial, single-use vessel at 3.75 L scale.
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are particles of varying size, structure, and composition, which are secreted from cells and frequently mediate intercellular communication. Because they have been shown to travel through the circulatory system and also through biological barriers to deliver their molecular contents to distant target cells, there has been growing interest in using EVs, such as exosomes, as drug delivery vehicles. In the past ten years, the number of published articles linking EVs to drug delivery has increased 20-fold. EVs are being engineered to deliver protein, RNA, and small molecule cargo to target cells, tissues, and entire systems. Also, EVs derived from certain cells show inherent, therapeutically beneficial activity.
Agarose-based chromatography beads were first introduced by Stellan Hjertén in 1962. Fifty years later, beaded agarose has become the dominant resin for protein purification and is extensively used, ranging from research-scale in sub mL volumes to full-scale manufacturing in > 500 L chromatography columns. Recent resin development work has focused on increasing capacity and selectivity through different grafting technologies and ligand developments.
Human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (GCSF) is produced by biotech laboratories and production facilities for reducing neutropenia duration and sequels in patients with myelosuppressor treatments, among other applications. However, real challenges for these laboratories started in 2015 when the PEGylated-GCSF patent expired, opening alternatives for developing biomanufacturing processes and new applications. Thus, the purpose of this study was to analyze downstream process controls designed to ensure recombinant human GCSF (rh-GCSF) quality and to provide some evidence of the downstream process validation status. Study outcomes proved that the rh-GCSF expression system was stable and chromatographic profiles were reproducible among samples.
The production of biopharmaceutical drugs typically involves a biological expression within a bacterial, yeast, or mammalian cell expansion system. Getting to the final product requires multiple purification steps, from primary clarification to the final formulation and sterile filtration. The aim of the initial purification steps is not to purify the stream perfectly but rather, to prepare the stream for finer and more specific purification steps further downstream. Apart from efficiently removing contaminants, the clarification stages also need to maintain high product recovery whilst being consistent and robust.
Biopharmaceutical manufacturing will continue to be increasingly challenging as medical knowledge and understanding rapidly advance. Many new therapies and products will utilize cellular, viral, genetic, and epigenetic approaches along with a repertoire of increasingly complex proteins targeting a rapidly increasing inventory of newly discovered biomarkers. Manufacturing these products efficiently, consistently, and reliably will require sophisticated manufacturing approaches, methods, and controls. In addition, growing patient, societal, and even regulatory pressures demand that new therapeutics be developed and manufactured quickly, reliably, and efficiently.