This week’s biotechnology news headlines include, Glaxo, Alphabet form venture to make bioelectronic medicines, StemBioSys secures European partner, N.I.H. may fund human-animal Stem Cell Research, Pfizer acquires Bamboo Therapeutics to beef up Gene Therapy arsenal, EU commission to review similar medicines concept, Amgen to develop Advaxis’ preclinical cancer immunotherapy, and Allergan to sell Anda drug distribution to Teva.

Cell Culture Events

Workshops:

Bioprocess Insights 2016, Crowne Plaza Event, Philadelphia, PA – August 8, 2016

Don’t miss the Bioprocess insights seminar that is coming to the Mid-Atlantic region on August 8^th.  The seminar will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Philadelphia, King of Prussia, PA. It will start at 9:00 AM, finish at 4:00 PM and lunch will be provided.

Two of our renowned industry experts, Günter Jagschies and Parrish Galliher, will share their experience from current upstream and downstream approaches. You will also hear their views on the future of the industry.

Topics include:

• Points to consider for continuous bioprocessing
• Biosimilar development: manufacturing technology, master development plan
• Managing for best economy: closing technology gaps and integrating upstream and downstream process development
• Technology developments and improvements in mAb downstream processing— recent achievements and outlook

Register today for this free seminar. Hope to see you there!

VISION leadership course is uniquely tailored for the bioindustry to capture the synergies between bioscience, technology and business practice – Keck Graduate Institute, Claremont, CA – September 14-16, 2016

UCL Biochemical Engineering in collaboration with Keck Graduate Institute is announcing its 2016 VISION Leadership Programme. Designed for talented high impact individuals, VISION provides executive leadership insights tailored for present & future leaders in the bioindustries through rigorous intellectual analysis & intensive, practical, peer-to-peer action-based learning giving you the tools required to drive innovation, entrepreneurship & global leadership in your organisation.

KEY BENEFITS AND IMPACT:

• Know how to make the transition from science & engineering based decision making towards company- wide strategic resolutions
• Build an invaluable network with elite peers & experts from academia & industry who challenge, stimulate & inspire you
• Gain perspectives on leadership challenges & critical business issues facing the bioindustry globally & formulate actions to address these
• Learn from real life cases studies to succeed in making difficult decisions & implementing strategies to secure a more robust future for your business
• Access & share best practices on how to be a good leader & avoid pitfalls in constantly evolving market
• Achieve your personal development & career objectives
• Evaluate the impact of key innovative research & technologies on the future of business & manufacturing

CONFIRMED SPEAKERS FOR 2016

Barry Buckland, CEO, BiologicB
Charles Cooney, Professor, MIT
Nigel Darby, former VP, GE Healthcare
Parrish Galliher, CTO, GE Healthcare
Phil Gomez, Principal, PricewaterhouseCoopers
Ljiljana Minwalla, Senior Legal & Patent Counsel, Mesoblast, Inc.
Andrew Ramelmeier, Senior VP, Portola Pharmaceuticals
Rahul Singhvi, COO, Takeda Vaccines

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

• Managers & practitioners fast tracked for executive roles or intending to move into leadership positions
• Current executives intending to interact with fellow leaders & expert speakers to debate & exchange novel thoughts & opinions
• Funding agencies wanting to interact with present & future thought leaders to gain insights into the sector trends & skills required to navigate the changing bioindustry landscape

 VISION combines innovative management thinking with cutting edge research to ensure high flyers perform optimally

For more information contact naveraj.gill@ucl.ac.uk and visit www.ucl.ac.uk/biochemeng/visionprogramme

Webinars:

Bioprocess Insights Webinars

The biopharmaceutical industry has developed into a multi-billion dollar market in just 30 years. Making decisions and setting up strategies in a rapidly changing environment can be challenging. The difference between a good and a great decision can have extensive implications for the future of a company. In this environment, knowledge and experience are what make the difference. Good insights about, for example, technical advancements, process economy implications, and sustainability aspects can help improve the individual decisions and strengthen the overall business strategy.

In this webinar series, four renowned subject matter experts will share their insights into four areas of bioprocessing: upstream, vaccines, downstream, and single-use technology. We will present tangible, recently developed data that can help you in developing modern, cost-efficient, and sustainable bioprocesses.

Don’t miss these on demand webinars – http://www.bioprocessintl.com/sponsored-content/bioprocess-insights-webinars/

Conferences:

August

• The Bioprocessing Summit – August 15-19, 2016 – Westin Boston Waterfront– Boston, MA http://www.bioprocessingsummit.com/

If you are attending, please don’t miss:

Dr. Adam Elhofy, CSO, Essential Pharmaceuticals (Booth #303) is giving a seminar on Thursday, August 18^th at 9:00 am entitled:  “Bioproduction: Scale, Bioreactors & Disposables” and is presenting a poster titled “Novel Lipid supplement increases mAb production in single use bioreactors”.

Abstract: Optimizing protein production by CHO cells grown in serum free conditions is an ongoing process, requiring a balance between cell proliferation and protein production. Many tools are utilized to increase protein titers, like metabolomics, media optimization and continuous perfusion. We investigated the use of a novel lipid supplement to improve media conditions using various strategies to increase protein yield. One strategy of adding the lipid supplement at the initiation of culture resulted in an increase in monoclonal (mAb) titer of 30% from CHO cells without increasing viable cell density (VCD). Furthermore when the metabolic profile was examined there were no differences in any of the metabolites tested, including ammonia, glutamate, lactate, glucose and others. A second strategy of using the supplement in a fed batch process as a feed resulted in two notable effects. The first effect was increasing the titer yield by close to 25%. The second effect was extending the window for peak protein production from 1 day to 2 days. The supplement was also used in a single use bioreactor. The lipid supplement used as a feed in a Wave bioreactor resulting in an increase of 27% of mAb titer. This research using this lipid supplement is the first to show an increased titer in a single use bioreactor. These results show there are opportunities for further optimization of protein production using lipids. Furthermore some of the standard metrics like metabolic profiles may not be able to predict improved titer or productivity. It is possible the use of lipids alters energy utilization for de novo membrane formation and improves the energy efficiency for protein production as evidenced by the scalable small bioreactor results.

Dr. Elhofy was recently interviewed for the Cell Culture Dish Podcast, “Cell Culture Media Optimization – It’s about more than just high protein titer.”

September

• BioAnalytical and Formulaiton Summit – September 14-15, 2016 – Berlin, Germany https://lifesciences.knect365.com/bioanalyticalandformulationThe Bioanalytical & Formulation Summit provides the ultimate opportunity to discuss your current challenges in analytical methods for biologics, with 2 streams dedicated to:
  • Protein Characterisation and Post Translational Modifications
  • Formulation for Biologics

  Join your peers for expert insight, new data, and the latest technology updates for formulation and QC strategies, to inform your methods and improve your product quality and efficacy.

October

• Bioprocessing International Co-Located with Cell Therapy Bioprocessing – October 4-7, 2016 – Boston Convention Center and Exhibition Center – Boston, MA http://www.ibclifesciences.com/BPI/overview.xml

• World Vaccine Congress Europe – October 10-12, 2016 – Barcelona, Spain http://www.terrapinn.com/conference/world-vaccine-congress-europe/index.stm

• Adoptive T-Cell Therapy Summit Europe 2016 – October 10-11, 2016 – London, UK www.tcellsummit.com

• Bioproduction – October 14-15, 2016 – Dublin, Ireland http://www.informa-ls.com/event/bio-production14

November

• World Immunotherapy Congress 2016 – November 14-16, 2016 – Basel Switzerland http://bit.ly/1rbnrYy

• World Precision Medicine – November 14-15, 2016 – Washington DC

The World Precision Medicine Congress USA is bringing together big pharma, big data, and healthcare providers to discuss the scientific, economic, and policy goals towards producing precise and genomic-based medicines. Partnered with forward-looking industry leaders such as precisionFDA and NantWorks, this event will fast-track our momentum into the future paradigm of healthcare by spurring the important discussions to get us there.

Can you afford to miss this gathering of precision medicine leaders? Pharma, big data, and healthcare providers will be there attending sessions on Gene Therapy, Cell Therapy, personalized medicine, and genomics.

Download the brochure: http://bit.ly/1N3Y0vI

Register to attend: http://bit.ly/1ObpkNV

• Eurotides and Peptides – November 16-18, 2016 – Berlin, Germany http://www.informa-ls.com/event/eurotidesandpeptides

December

• ASCB – December 3-7, 2016 – San Francisco, CA http://ascb.org/meetings/

• World Stem Cell Summit & RegMed Capital Conference– December 6-9, 2016 – West Palm Beach, Florida http://worldstemcellsummit.com/

• Antibody Engineering and Therapeutics – December 11-15, 2016 – San Diego, CA http://www.ibclifesciences.com/AntibodyEng/overview.xml

• Global Biomanufacturing Summit – December 12-14, 2016 – San Diego, CA http://biomansummit.com/

Headlines:

“Glaxo, Alphabet Form Venture to Make Bioelectronic Medicines,” Bloomberg

“GlaxoSmithKline Plc, the U.K.’s biggest drugmaker, is forming a joint venture with Google parent Alphabet Inc.’s life-sciences business to explore using electrical signals to treat diseases.”

If you like this story, please see our blog titled “Increase Protein Yield by Striking the Right Balance between Cell Density and Protein Productivity”

“San Antonio biotech company secures critical European partner,” San Antonio Business Journal

“StemBioSys Inc. has added more international firepower in its quest to gain a global presence. The San Antonio-based biotech company has entered into an agreement with Cellaviva AB, which will market and distribute its products in Sweden and Denmark.”

If you like this story, please see our blog titled “BIO 2016 Annual Convention – Summary of Highlights”

“N.I.H. May Fund Human-Animal Stem Cell Research,” The New York Times

“The National Institutes of Health announced on Thursday that it was planning to lift its ban on funding some research that injects human stem cells into animal embryos.”

If you like this story, please see our blog titled “Antibody Drug Conjugates – An Overview of the Technology and Manufacturing”

Pfizer acquires Bamboo Therapeutics to beef up Gene Therapy arsenal

“Pfizer Inc said it had acquired privately held Gene Therapy developer Bamboo Therapeutics Inc in a deal worth up to $645 million to boost its presence in the treatment of rare diseases.”

If you like this story, please see our blog titled “Gene Therapy Strengthened by Recent Successes”

“European Commission to Overhaul Concept of ‘Similar’ Medicines Within Context of Orphan Legislation,” Regulatory Focus

“The European Commission on Friday proposed to review the concept of “similar medicinal products” in the context of its orphan legislation as part of a wider effort to adapt the text to technical progress.”

If you like this story, please see our blog titled “Real Time IgG Titer Measurement Enables PAT (Process Analytical Technology) Implementation”

“Amgen to Develop Advaxis’ Preclinical Cancer Immunotherapy ADXS-NEO,” Genetic Engineering News

“Amgen will develop and commercialize Advaxis’ ADXS-NEO, a novel, preclinical cancer immunotherapy candidate, through a global agreement that could generate more than $540 million for Advaxis, the companies said today.”

If you like this story, please see our blog titled “Cool Tool – A Complete Media System for Transient Transfection in CHO Cells”

“Allergan to sell Anda drug distribution business to Teva,” Reuters

“Allergan Plc (AGN.N) said it would sell its Anda Inc distribution business to Israel’s Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (TEVA.TA) for $500 million, a day after Teva completed its $40.5 billion acquisition of the Dublin-based company’s generics business.”

If you like this story, please see our blog titled “Cell Flask Adapters Can Streamline the Cell Culturing Process”