Episodes

In this podcast, I spoke with John Ketz and Denis Kole about viral vector production, including current manufacturing challenges, navigating the road to commercialization, and successful scale up strategies. We began the interview by discussing the strides made in cell and gene therapy. Denis shared information about the several approved therapies and the more than 2,000 ongoing clinical trials. Denis added that while the immense potential of these personalized therapies is becoming more and mor...

In this podcast, I spoke with Hanna Lesch Ph.D., Chief Technology Officer at Exothera about viral vector manufacturing. We discussed current industry needs and challenges, scalability, end to end solutions, and key insights to a successful manufacturing and approval process. I began the discussion by asking Hanna about the viral vector manufacturing that she is working on at Exothera. She explained that Exothera is a Belgium-based CDMO delivering customized process development and GMP manufactur...

In this podcast, I talked with Dr. Jimmy Li, CEO of WuXi XDC, a WuXi Biologics subsidiary. We discussed the reasons for the formation of WuXi XDC, which was established via a joint venture between WuXi Biologics and WuXi STA, a WuXi AppTec subsidiary, and how one-stop drug development organizations greatly streamline a pathway to the clinic. He also shares new technologies available to make the development of Antibody Drug Conjugates (ADCs) more efficient and effective.

In this podcast, I talked with Dr. Jimmy Li, CEO of WuXi XDC, a WuXi Biologics subsidiary. We discussed the reasons for the formation of WuXi XDC, which was established via a joint venture between WuXi Biologics and WuXi STA, a WuXi AppTec subsidiary, and how this company provides a true single-source for the discovery, development, and GMP manufacture of antibody drug conjugates and other novel bioconjugates with their highly efficient one-stop drug development platform.

In this podcast, we talked with Dr. Alison Porter, Head of Expression System Sciences, Lonza, about the use of stable pool expression to reduce drug development timelines. Highlights included the implementation of stable pools in current workflows, expected titers, and cutting-edge applications of the technology.

Phil Sanders talks about the increase in demand for single-use equipment and consumables and how this has led to supply chain shortages.

Several of the most promising candidates in the pipeline use mesenchymal stromal cells and pluripotent stem cells, both of which require an adherent substrate for native biological function. Thus, utilizing an adherent platform for production of these cell types provides several advantages, including shorter process development and optimization time, no need to adapt cells to suspension, and the ability to implement various surface modifications that promote the relevant biology.

In this podcast, we spoke with Chris Rombach, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Asahi Kasei Bioprocess America about buffer prep and delivery systems. We discussed current pain points and how next generation buffer prep solutions can greatly improve upon the status quo, including increasing the use of automation and remote operation, while reducing the overall footprint, labor and cost associated with more traditional approaches.

Claire Jarmey-Swan, Global Product Manager, Pall Corporation talks about the evolution freeze thaw technologies and how these new methods can streamline the process, minimize loss and maintain the highest product quality.

The priority of speed to market is often at odds with issues around development resources, facility space, and infrastructure for both development and manufacturing. Continuous bioprocessing provides solutions for many of these challenges in certain applications, but to deliver on this promise we need fit-for-purpose tools and technologies to enable process development and provide reliable transfer to commercial manufacturing.

Alan Dickson talks about the evolution of the CHO Cell line from isolation to workhorse of the biomanufacturing industry, to gene edited knockout variants. It is an interesting look at why CHO cells have been so successful and how this success continues to be improved upon for manufacture of emerging therapeutics.

In this podcast, Ratish Krishnan, Associate Director for Cell & Gene Therapy BioProcessing for the Americas at MilliporeSigma about the importance of 3D culture and the challenges associated with growing and maintaining culture in 3D. We also discussed using a 3D culture bioreactor system, which employs clinostat technology to culture spheroids and organoids in a way that maintains the structure and function of in vivo cells.

In this podcast, we spoke with Dr. Stephen Fey, Chief Research Officer and Co-founder, CelVivo about the importance of 3D culture and the challenges associated with growing and maintaining culture in 3D. We also discussed using a 3D culture bioreactor system, which employs clinostat technology to culture spheroids and organoids in a way that maintains the structure and function of in vivo cells.

In this podcast, we conducted a panel discussion with experts from Peak Proteins on common protein challenges and the use of mass spec to overcome expression and purification issues. We also discussed how mass spec can also be utilized in working with complex proteins and in-process modifications.

In this podcast, we spoke with Dr. Ann Rossi Bilodeau, Senior Bioprocess Applications Scientist and Dr. Catherine Siler, Field Applications Scientist both with Corning Life Sciences, who shared insightful tips for setting up a new lab. We discussed how to create a lab plan, maximize lab space, stay within budget and timelines. They also shared their experience in implementing lab safety and training as part of the new lab launch. Show Notes We began the podcast by talking about how setting up ...

In this podcast, we talked with Chris Scanlon, Global Marketing Development Manager at Thermo Fisher Scientific about how to effectively evaluate which FBS product is right for each application. This includes weighing product quality levels and country of origin. Chris also shares strategies for maximizing purchasing options and new FBS products on the horizon. We began the interview by talking about how FBS has evolved to include several different product quality levels to meet the needs of en...

In this podcast we talked with DQ Wang, PhD, and Vice President, Formulation, Fill and Finish of WuXi Biologics about their DP4 multi-product fill & finish facility featuring the Vanrx SA25 robotic, gloveless, isolator-based filling system. The system significantly reduces drug product fill risk and provides greater aseptic assurance. The facility is the first in China to use this technology platform and the system fits perfectly with “scale-out” manufacturing paradigms. This highly-flexible pla...

In this podcast, we talked with Ken Chen, MBA, Senior Director, Regulatory Affairs, WuXi Biologics about staying current with regulatory changes. We discussed how WuXi Biologics recently began publishing a quarterly summary of regulatory updates on new or revised guidance documents from the various global regulatory agencies and how this is a valuable resource for anyone in the biological drug development arena. I began the article by asking Ken what prompted WuXi Biologics to begin publishing ...

In this podcast, we interviewed Markus Gershater, Chief Scientific Officer with Synthace about computer aided biology and how it addresses several common biomanufacturing challenges. We also discussed ways to build a common culture between science and software. I began the inteview by asking Mr. Gershater to describe the concept of Bioprocessing 4.0 and what it means to the industry. Markus explained that the term 4.0 refers to the industrial revolutions that have happened throughout history. T...

In this podcast, we talked with Thierry Cournez Vice President, BioReliance® End-to-End Solutions, MilliporeSigma.. We discussed effective ways for emerging biotechs to collect material quickly and cost-effectively for pre-clinical and clinical studies. We also discussed managing the need to move quickly with cost and quality. Show Notes I began the interview by asking Mr. Cournez if he could talk about how MilliporeSigma works with emerging biotechnology companies. He said that developing and...

Cell counting is a challenging technique, with many pitfalls, that can delay entire projects. We talk with Christian Berg about how new technologies are solving these challenges and enabling standardization of cell counting across organizations.

Spheroids can be an improved model for cancer in the lab compared to standard 2D cell culture. When cancer cells are cultured as spheroids, they are able to maintain the shape, polarity, genotype, and heterogeneity observed in vivo (1). This allows researchers to create models that are much more reflective of what’s going on in the body. For a simple example, if you think about drug penetration into a 2D monolayer of cells it’s completely different from drug penetration into a solid tumor. In a ...

In this podcast, we talked with Dr. Gil Van Bokkelen, Chairman and CEO, Athersys about recent clinical breakthroughs in regenerative medicine and manufacturing challenges. We also discussed Multistem and how it has been demonstrated to help patients with ARDS (Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome).

In this podcast, we conducted a panel discussion with experts from Selexis and KBI Biopharma on bi-specific antibodies. We examined bi-specific antibody development and manufacturing, including current challenges and key solutions. We also discussed the promise of these cutting-edge therapeutics and their future in medicine.