Knowledge-based contract services

EuroBiotech_Why was the CSO position at Rentschler Biopharma newly created? What has changed since you joined the company?

Christian Schetter_The position with the actual scope was newly created to ensure that Rentschler Biopharma stays on top of new developments and applies forward-thinking to meet the needs of our clients. This also comprises deciding upon the right level of digitisation, automation and implementation of new technologies for development, analytics and manufacturing. In the last year, we got an even better picture of what we should focus on and where we will implement new initiatives.

EuroBiotech_What topics are you focusing on when defining the scientific orientation of Rentschler Biopharma?

Schetter_It is an absolute key to appreciate that our prime objective is to service our clients and ensure that we do everything possible so that they are successful. Having said this, the most important aspect is to fully understand their needs and challenges, the stage of development of their product candidate or commercial product and then match this with the areas we should focus on scientifically.

EuroBiotech_There was a time when one thought that engineers are most essential for production processes and new developments. What is your take on this? Is this way of thinking outdated?

Schetter_I do not believe that a premium CDMO can rely on a single expertise or function to be successful. This is becoming even more evident with complexity and focus on faster development cycles dramatically increased. Only a real team approach with many diverse expertise working seamlessly together as one will result in success and meeting all needs of biopharmaceutical clients. This is what we mean to be “One Rentschler”.

EuroBiotech_Does the CSO define independent research projects, or are these rather projects driven by clients or in cooperation with clients?

Schetter_Rentschler Biopharma does not have independent research projects to develop new therapies for specific diseases. This is the expertise of our clients. We do however have projects aiming to identify new solutions to existing hurdles in analytics or manufacturing to enable us to run more efficient processes for the benefit of our clients. For us, innovation has to go beyond the desire to know more, it has to be geared towards a clear purpose and benefit.

EuroBiotech_One hears a lot about artificial intelligence and new possibilities in protein design, due to a new understanding of protein structure and how the building blocks of a protein interact with one another. Does Rentschler Biopharma need to be at the forefront of research in this area, to also be able to produce such molecules, or is that not a challenge at all in biopharmaceutical production?

Schetter_This is an excellent question and a very complex topic. The answer again is along our desire to provide outstanding services to our clients. As a premium CDMO, we believe it will be key to be strong in bio data processing, which is constantly learning from all the data generated during process and analytical development as well as in manufacturing to constantly improve our processes. Another aim will be to have an even larger understanding of the processes allowing, e.g. predictions about manufacturability or instant adaptation of conditions. Again when it comes to understanding protein structures and how best to drug the relevant targets, it is our client‘s expertise that will leverage these technologies best as will be the choice of the appropriate modality for a given target.

EuroBiotech_Besides this area, which of the recent developments and trends are most important for Rentschler Bio-pharma right now?

Schetter_There are several important trends we have identified and incorporated into our strategy and execution plan. Allow me to focus here just on one specific area, which from a CSO‘s perspective is especially exciting. The emergence of Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMP) is significantly increasing the space of druggable targets potentially allowing the treatment of patients with serious and rare diseases for which therapies are yet not identified. There is a high demand for CDMOs like Rentschler Biopharma to provide development capabilities and cGMP-capacity to clients focusing on cell and gene therapy approaches. For this, we have established Rentschler ATMP in Stevenage, UK, in 2020. I am proud to state we have made significant progress in the last 12 months and are now on the path offering all relevant services for the development and cGMP-manufacturing of Adeno-Associated Virus-based gene therapies. We will continuously expand our offering in this space also to other modalities.

EuroBiotech_Is it also part of the CSO’s responsibility to identify potential acquisition candidates whose science and technology could be a good complement to Rentschler Biopharma?

Schetter_Putting our client‘s success at the centre of our attention we fully understand the complete development path of biopharmaceuticals starting early with cell line development and going all the way to commercial market supply. We therefore constantly look for partners that complement our offerings. The idea is not necessarily to acquire these partners but rather to form strategic alliances, making it even easier for our clients to experience a full service for all their CMC requirements. Examples are our partnerships with Vetter for fill and finish or with Leukocare in formulation. We are always on the lookout for additional partnerships to expand our offering.

EuroBiotech_The company prides itself in “creating value sustainably” for its employees and clients. Could you elaborate on this from a CSO’s perspective?

Schetter_Thank you for bringing this up. It implies always taking a long-term view on all the things we do not being driven by short-term sparks or hypes which may be over quickly. From the CSO’s perspective, a good example is again how we approach our new Rentschler ATMP initiative. We first convinced ourselves that cell and gene therapy will be an important sector to help patients in the long run. We then put in place a long-term plan on how to best enter the space and are now on track to execute this plan, of course with the always necessary adaptations. This will allow us to set up a new business in a sustainable way with the ultimate purpose helping patients in a meaningful way.

EuroBiotech_Rentschler celebrates its 150th anniversary this year. What does this milestone mean for the company?

Schetter_We are extremely proud of this. It is a long way starting as a pharmacy in 1872 to becoming today’s premium CDMO that we are. This outstanding success was only possible by determination combined with creativity and innovative entrepreneurship over the last 150 years. For us, at Rentschler, it is a time to celebrate and take this huge accomplishment as an inspiration to continue our successful journey as a premium CDMO and accelerate into the next 150 years.

This interview was originally published in European Biotechnology Magazine Autumn Edition 2022.