This year, Merck KGaA Darmstadt, Germany has acquired AmpTec, an internationally active
contract manufacturing company (CMO) with comprehensive services for manufacturing of synthetic RNAs and mRNAs and more than 15 years of experience, with cGMP compliant manufacturing capabilities in development. This marks an exciting new chapter, where our combined expertise will allow us to offer our customers innovative technologies and products to help advance life-enhancing therapeutics.
In clinical trials of new drugs and vaccines, the analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) is increasingly recognized as a valuable tool to get insight into the cellular immune response. These data can be used as surrogates in clinical trials for evaluation and market authorisation of new prophylactic or therapeutic vaccines. The collection of the drawn blood and its transport to an isolation lab is a logistical challenge that requires sophisticated procedures and diligent oversight.
Since virus immunotherapies have the potential to improve therapy responses, we established a platform technology based on Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 (HSV1). TheraVision constitutes a complete development pipeline including a proprietary HSV1 engineering vector for the modular integration of transgenes, a GMP-compliant production process, and complex preclinical test systems including human tumour and immune cells to demonstrate sensitivity and safety.
Cancer immunotherapy exploits the body’s own immune system to fight against cancer. CAR-T cell therapy is one of the breakthrough approaches that involves re-engineering a patient’s own
T cells to recognize and eradicate cancer.
Early December, Deutsche Börse has started BIOTECH Insight, a new information service on the German biotech industry.
Building on a relentless commitment to customer service and innovation, Beckman Coulter Life Sciences debuts a powerful new interactive customer resource with the launch of its Digital Campus. The 3D platform provides greater access to the company’s resources regardless of physical location and allows users to control their experience including the chance to get up close and personal with products and experts.
On 7th July 2021, the German Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (Bundesinstitut für Arzneimittel und Medizinprodukte – BfArM) launched the first sale of cannabis exclusively for medical purposes from cultivation in Germany. Pharmacies are now able to purchase medical cannabis flowers of pharmaceutical drug quality for the supply of patients from the BfArM via the official portal of the German Cannabis Agency (www.cannabisagentur.de).
Gene Editing?CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing offers substantial improvements over previous gene editing technologies in terms of ease of use, speed, efficacy, and cost. Not surprisingly, CRISPR-Cas9 editing has taken biomedical science by storm. While the technology is relatively simple in handling at the level of basic research, the use of CRISPR genome editing in therapeutical applications poses a bunch of
analytical challenges.
The medical cold chain is the network of refrigerators, freezers, and transport solutions tasked to always keep samples and specimens at their intended temperatures. When it comes to cell and gene research and therapy, temperature requirements can be demanding, requiring the deployment of specialised refrigeration products. With its refrigeration solutions, B Medical Systems can help in always keeping your specimens safe.
When the time comes for a biopharma company to outsource its production, or to get support for the development of a new project, the pool of available CDMOs is quite deep. Everyone knows the big players, but maybe they are not suitable for everyone. They have proven expertise but as it happens with big organisations, they are usually not very flexible with increased indirect costs.