An Integrated Digital Vision for Biomanufacturing’s Future

The pharmaceutical market is changing rapidly thanks to the success of biologics and other cell and gene therapies. By 2016, biologics accounted for six of the top eight drugs by revenue, according to a study by Mordor Intelligence. The FDA, meanwhile, expects to be approving 10–20 new gene and cell therapies annually from 2025—having approved the first in 2017.

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Cayman Chemical

We are helping make research possible by supplying scientists worldwide with the assay kits, antibodies, proteins, and biochemicals to advance their research.

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MedTech

Next-Gen Genetics Cancer Therapies Creating Investment Prospects

Article | July 20, 2022

Genetic therapeutics such as genetic engineering and gene therapy are increasingly emerging as one of the most influential and transformed biotechnological solutions around the globe in recent times. These genetic solutions are being assessed across various medical domains, including cancer treatment, neurology, oncology, and ophthalmology. Citing the trend, the genetics industry is estimated to experience a tsunami of approvals, with over 1,000 cell and gene therapy clinical trials currently underway and over 900 companies worldwide focusing on these cutting-edge therapies. Growing Cancer Encourages Advancements in Genetic Technologies With the surging cases of cancers such as leukemias, carcinomas, lymphomas, and others, patients worldwide are increasing their spending on adopting novel therapeutic solutions for non-recurring treatment of the disease, such as gene therapy, genetic engineering, T-cell therapy, and gene editing. As per a study by the Fight Cancer Organization, spending on the treatment of cancer increased to $200.7 billion, and the amount is anticipated to exceed $245 billion by the end of 2030. Growing revenue prospects are encouraging biotechnology and biopharmaceutical companies to develop novel genetic solutions for cancer treatment. For instance, Bristol-Myers Squibb K.K., a Japanese pharmaceutical company, introduced a B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA)-directed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell immunotherapy, Abecma, for the treatment of relapsed or refractory (R/R) multiple myeloma in 2022. Amid a New Market: Genetics Will Attract Massive Investments Despite several developments and technological advancements, genetics is still considered to be in a nascent stage, providing significant prospects for growth to the companies that are already operating in the domain. Genetics solutions such as gene therapies, gene editing, and T-cell immunotherapy are emerging as highly active treatments across various medical fields, resulting in increasing research and development activities across the domain, drawing significant attention from investors. Given the potential of genetic treatments and the focus on finding new ways to treat cancer and other related diseases, it's easy to understand why companies are investing in the domain. For instance, Pfizer has recently announced an investment of around $800 million to construct development facilities supporting gene therapy manufacturing from initial preclinical research through final commercial-scale production. Due to these advancements, cell and gene therapies are forecast to grow from $4 billion annually to more than $45 billion, exhibiting growth at a 63% CAGR. The Future of Genetics Though there is a significant rise in advancement in genetic technologies and developments, the number of approved genetic treatments remains extremely small. However, with gene transfer and CRISPR solutions emerging as new modalities for cancer treatment, the start-up companies will attract a growing amount and proportion of private and public investments. This is expected present a tremendous opportunity for biopharma and biotechnology investors to help fund and benefit from the medical industry's shift from traditional treatments to cutting-edge genetic therapeutics in the coming years.

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Medical

Better Purification and Recovery in Bioprocessing

Article | July 14, 2022

In the downstream portion of any bioprocess, one must pick through the dross before one can seize the gold the biotherapeutic that the bioprocess was always meant to generate. Unfortunately, the dross is both voluminous and various. And the biotherapeutic gold, unlike real gold, is corruptible. That is, it can suffer structural damage and activity loss. When discarding the dross and collecting the gold, bioprocessors must be efficient and gentle. They must, to the extent possible, eliminate contaminants and organic debris while ensuring that biotherapeutics avoid aggregation-inducing stresses and retain their integrity during purification and recovery. Anything less compromises purity and reduces yield. To purify and recover biotherapeutics efficiently and gently, bioprocessors must avail themselves of the most appropriate tools and techniques. Here, we talk with several experts about which tools and techniques can help bioprocessors overcome persistent challenges. Some of these experts also touch on new approaches that can help bioprocessors address emerging challenges.

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Research

2 Small-Cap Biotech Stocks You Haven't Heard of, But Should Know About

Article | July 11, 2022

With everything that's going on with the COVID-19 pandemic, many healthcare companies have grabbed plenty of spotlight during these challenging times. At the same time, a number of otherwise promising businesses have slipped under the radar. That's especially true for small-cap biotech stocks that aren't actively involved in developing tests, vaccines or treatments for COVID-19. Vaccine developers, protective equipment producers, and healthcare service providers are all attracting plenty of attention during this pandemic, but there are just as many promising biotech stocks that aren't involved in these areas. Here are two such companies that you might have missed, but they deserve a spot on your watch list.

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MedTech

Data Analytics: A Groundbreaking Technology in Biotech

Article | July 20, 2022

Biotechnology is a vast discipline of biology that employs diverse biological systems to create solutions that can significantly alter the ways in which they operate across various domains. That said, biotechnology is not a new notion. It has existed for millennia, with ancient civilizations using its earliest incarnations to cultivate crops and create alcoholic beverages. Today, the biotechnology industry has developed by leaps and bounds and has amassed a vast quantity of scientific data through study and research. Given the importance of data in the biotechnology business, it is not difficult to understand why biotech companies utilize data analytics. Modern data analytics tools have made it possible for researchers in the biotech industry to build predictive analytics models and gain knowledge about the most efficient approaches to accomplish their desired goals and objectives. Data analytics is increasingly being adopted by biotech businesses to better understand their industry and foresee any problems down the road. How is Data Analytics Revolutionizing Fields in Biotechnology? Today's business and scientific fields greatly benefit from data. Without the analysis of vast information libraries that provide new insights and enable new innovations, no industry can really advance. Being highly reliant on big data analytics, biotech is not an exception in this regard. With the tools and methods that help scientists systematize their findings and speed up their research for better and safer results, data analytics is making deeper inroads into the biotechnology industry. It is emerging as a crucial link between knowledge and information and is extensively being used for purposes other than just examining the information that is already available. The following are a few of the cutting-edge biotechnology applications of data analytics Genomics and Disease Treatment Pharmaceutical Drug Discovery Drug Recycling and Safety Agriculture and Agri-products Environmental Damage Mitigation Data Analytics Possibilities in Biotechnology With data analytics becoming an integral part of how biotech businesses operate, biotechnologists and related stakeholders need to understand its emergence and crucial role. Data analytics has opened new frontiers in the realm of biotechnology. Thanks to developments in data analytics, research and development activities that once took years may now be accomplished in a matter of months. Also, now scientists have access to biological, social, and environmental insights that can be exploited to create more effective and sustainable products. By understanding the importance of data-related tools and techniques applications, biotech companies are aiming to invest in the popularizing technology to stay updated in the fast-paced biotechnology industry.

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Spotlight

Cayman Chemical

We are helping make research possible by supplying scientists worldwide with the assay kits, antibodies, proteins, and biochemicals to advance their research.

Related News

Advances in Cell Culture Media Formulation and Development

Genengnews | July 10, 2019

For decades commercial and academic scientists have sought reliable serum-free media. As far back as the 1960s a number of options were available for the cultivation of some cell lines. Now, after years of effort, many of the shortcomings of these early formulations have been resolved, and researchers have a number of highly successful alternatives available. For CHO bioproduction in a fed-batch process, there are two media and feed systems that we recommend. The first, the EX-CELL. Advanced CHO Fed Batch System, is optimized for fed-batch processes. The second, Cellvento. 4CHO medium and 4Feed, are unique in that the feed contains a modified form of tyrosine, which allows high concentrations of this amino acid at neutral pH. Both systems contain only chemically defined components and are animal- component free. These two media systems display high titers, protein quality, and scalability when operating in a fed-batch mode. However, if the bioproduction process is perfusion, then the nutritional needs of the cell line will be different and a medium optimized for that mode of production is essential.

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Cobra Biologics and Symbiosis Complete Viral Vector Collaboration

Genengnews | July 10, 2019

Cobra Biologics, a CDMO focused on viral vector drug substance production, and Symbiosis Pharmaceutical Services, a CMO specializing in the sterile manufacture of injectable viral vector drug products, reported the successful completion of their collaboration to develop synergistic capabilities. Intended to accelerate the clinical and commercial production of viral vectors, which represent part of the burgeoning Advanced Therapeutics Medicinal Product (ATMP) drug development space and the growth of personalized medicine, the 18-month joint project saw a combined investment of £4.8m including significant support from a grant received under the U.K. government’s Innovate UK Health and Life Sciences Program. The collaboration significantly increases both companies’ existing commercial capacity and simplifies the supply chain process for the manufacture of viral vectors for use in gene therapy and immunotherapy, said Peter Coleman, CEO of Cobra. By aligning the technical expertise and manufacturing capabilities of Cobra and Symbiosis, the complexity, time, and risk of viral vector manufacturing projects will be greatly reduced meaning that customer companies developing viral vector ATMPs can derive their own competitive value from accelerating their progression along the drug development critical path, he added.

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Advances in Cell Culture Media Formulation and Development

Genengnews | July 10, 2019

For decades commercial and academic scientists have sought reliable serum-free media. As far back as the 1960s a number of options were available for the cultivation of some cell lines. Now, after years of effort, many of the shortcomings of these early formulations have been resolved, and researchers have a number of highly successful alternatives available. For CHO bioproduction in a fed-batch process, there are two media and feed systems that we recommend. The first, the EX-CELL. Advanced CHO Fed Batch System, is optimized for fed-batch processes. The second, Cellvento. 4CHO medium and 4Feed, are unique in that the feed contains a modified form of tyrosine, which allows high concentrations of this amino acid at neutral pH. Both systems contain only chemically defined components and are animal- component free. These two media systems display high titers, protein quality, and scalability when operating in a fed-batch mode. However, if the bioproduction process is perfusion, then the nutritional needs of the cell line will be different and a medium optimized for that mode of production is essential.

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Cobra Biologics and Symbiosis Complete Viral Vector Collaboration

Genengnews | July 10, 2019

Cobra Biologics, a CDMO focused on viral vector drug substance production, and Symbiosis Pharmaceutical Services, a CMO specializing in the sterile manufacture of injectable viral vector drug products, reported the successful completion of their collaboration to develop synergistic capabilities. Intended to accelerate the clinical and commercial production of viral vectors, which represent part of the burgeoning Advanced Therapeutics Medicinal Product (ATMP) drug development space and the growth of personalized medicine, the 18-month joint project saw a combined investment of £4.8m including significant support from a grant received under the U.K. government’s Innovate UK Health and Life Sciences Program. The collaboration significantly increases both companies’ existing commercial capacity and simplifies the supply chain process for the manufacture of viral vectors for use in gene therapy and immunotherapy, said Peter Coleman, CEO of Cobra. By aligning the technical expertise and manufacturing capabilities of Cobra and Symbiosis, the complexity, time, and risk of viral vector manufacturing projects will be greatly reduced meaning that customer companies developing viral vector ATMPs can derive their own competitive value from accelerating their progression along the drug development critical path, he added.

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