When I go to a therapeutic protein meeting, it’s very hard for me to hear these products referred to as “drugs.” But since they are being regulated by CDER, it’s a little easier to swallow. However, calling viral gene vectors and cellular therapies “drugs” is a bridge too far. My advice to my good friends at CBER is to keep calling their products “biologics,” or they may lose all of their regulatory responsibilities to CDER…
Tag: <span>monoclonal antibodies</span>
We just completed our 6th ISBioTech Spring Meeting, and it was a resounding success. And while the attendee numbers were up considerably, the more important aspects for me were that we had the “right” people, plus incredibly valuable content. Then what impressed me the most was the happiness and hopefulness I saw during the meals, receptions, and the banquet. We’ve been organizing these meetings for over 20 years, and I haven’t experienced anything like this since our earliest days in Williamsburg…
European organizations have been doing business with Cuba during its last 30 years of biotechnology development, and have benefited from both licensing and distribution agreements for generic pharmaceuticals, as well as vaccines and other biologicals. However, as far as direct US/Cuban interactions, we’ll probably have to go through a period of “low-level” scientific exchanges before there is much interaction. As a starting point, it has been proposed by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) that an official scientific and technology agreement be established to form a broader framework for interactions…
In the last few decades, laboratory and therapeutic applications of cell culture-derived biologicals have expanded from their use in diagnostic and research fields to the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases, certain forms of cancer, immunological and congenital conditions, and cell and gene therapy. While significant therapeutic benefits obtained from the use of cell culture-derived biologics (e.g., recombinant proteins, monoclonal antibodies [mAb], and vaccines) are unequivocal, the complexities associated with the manufacture of such products is acknowledged. Primary and continuous cell lines used in the manufacture can be associated with risk of contamination with endogenous retroviruses, latent viruses, or new and emerging agents. Some cell lines, such as Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, have an excellent safety record with no documented safety risks…
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.