CELL AND GENE THERAPY, INDUSTRIAL IMPACT
Oxford Nanopore Technologies | February 17, 2023
On February 16, 2023, Oxford Nanopore Technologies announced that it will be furthering its collaboration with UPS Healthcare to expedite the distribution of its Oxford Nanopore DNA/RNA sequencing products and consumables throughout the Asia Pacific region.
The collaborative effort will strengthen the supply chain for Oxford Nanopore's portable, real-time DNA sequencing devices in key markets across Asia. By leveraging the specialized healthcare logistics solutions provided by UPS, Oxford Nanopore will be able to provide its customers with faster delivery times, simplifying the entire process and reducing customer pain points. In addition, this development will enable Oxford Nanopore's customers to allocate more time and resources toward high-impact, time-sensitive genomics research, particularly in critical areas such as human disease, cancer, and agriculture.
Oxford Nanopore's flow cells will be stored at UPS Healthcare's temperature-controlled distribution facility in Singapore for the first time and will be delivered within 24 to 48 hours to destinations across the Asia Pacific via UPS's cold chain distribution capabilities. For time- and temperature-sensitive shipments, Oxford Nanopore, will additionally use UPS® Premier's premium, prioritization, tracking and recovery service.
The objective will be same-day dispatch and quicker delivery of flow cells, which are consumable cartridges that include the chemistry and technology required for nanopore-based sequencing and are used in tandem with Oxford Nanopore's product range.
Oxford Nanopore's investment in the Asia Pacific demonstrates the company's ongoing commitment to supporting the area's rising client base, with several genomics-led research projects prospering across region countries. They include translational cancer research, pathogen surveillance and agricultural sequencing, most notably to preserve Malaysian shrimp farming.
With more than 17 million square feet of cGMP and GDP-compliant healthcare distribution space worldwide, UPS Healthcare provides scientific communities with unrivaled healthcare logistics expertise.
After a fulfillment deal signed in 2022 that presently covers the United States and Canada, this is Oxford Nanopore's second region served by UPS Healthcare. Plans to expand the collaboration to other parts of the world, including Australia, are expected to be announced in 2023.
About Oxford Nanopore Technologies
Founded in 2005, Oxford Nanopore Technologies has made a significant breakthrough by creating the world's first and only platform for nanopore DNA and RNA sequencing. This new generation of sequencing technology offers numerous benefits, including the ability to scale to portable or ultra-high-throughput formats, real-time data delivery, and the ability to provide detailed biological data. By offering such innovative technology, Oxford Nanopore Technologies seeks to transform traditional biological analyses and explore new applications that can positively impact society. The company now has over 600 employees with expertise in a wide range of fields, including nanopore science, molecular biology and applications, informatics, engineering, electronics, manufacturing, and commercialization.
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MEDTECH, INDUSTRIAL IMPACT
BioNTech and InstaDeep | January 12, 2023
BioNTech and InstaDeep Ltd. recently signed an agreement wherein the former is set to acquire InstaDeep, a worldwide leader in AI and ML technologies.
The acquisition involves a total upfront payment of about £362 million in cash, while BioNTech shares will be used to buy the remaining 100% of InstaDeep shares, excluding those currently held by BioNTech.
The acquisition strengthens BioNTech's aim to establish world-leading abilities in AI-driven drug discovery and develop vaccines as well as next-generation immunotherapies to treat diseases with significant unmet medical needs. In addition, the company will enhance its network of worldwide research collaborators and expand its presence in many talent hubs throughout the United States, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe due to the acquisition.
With the acquisition of InstaDeep, BioNTech's proven and new AI- and ML-based models will be added to all of its discovery platforms and linked to an automated lab infrastructure through InstaDeep's DeepChainTM platform.
MD, CEO and Co-Founder of BioNTech, Prof. Ugur Sahin, said, "Since the inception of BioNTech, we have focused on leveraging computational solutions to create personalized immunotherapies that can reach a wide patient population."
(Source: Globe Newswire)
Adding to this, CEO and Co-Founder of InstaDeep, Karim Beguir, stated, "AI is progressing exponentially and our mission at InstaDeep has always been to make sure it benefits everyone. We are very excited to join forces and become one team with BioNTech, with whom we share the same culture of deep tech innovation and focus on positive human impact."
(Source: Globe Newswire)
About BioNTech
BioNTech is a fully-integrated and worldwide leader in immunotherapy. It has been focusing on automating and digitizing processes and developing capacities for the specialized production of individual vaccinations and large-scale goods, such as the COVID-19 vaccine. As immunotherapy pioneers, the company believes that science and innovation can make a difference for humankind. Therefore, since the beginning, it has focused on harnessing the immune system's total capacity to combat cancer and infectious diseases.
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INDUSTRIAL IMPACT
Resilience | February 20, 2023
National Resilience, Inc. (Resilience), a manufacturing company with a technology-focused mission to improve access to complex medications, recently announced a 10-year biomanufacturing partnership with a top pharmaceutical company for its portfolio of services in process and analytical development, drug substance manufacturing, and drug product manufacturing. The extensive agreement covers prospective biologic, vaccine, nucleic acid, cell, and gene therapy manufacturing.
Resilience’s recently acquired facility in Cincinnati, Ohio, is its worldwide center of excellence to produce commercial medicinal products, and will deliver the first product as stipulated under the agreement. The development of complicated pharmaceuticals, such as cell and gene therapies, has not kept up with the rate of scientific advancements that are supporting them. Resilience brings together exceptional minds in science and engineering to bridge this gap with access to state-of-the-art technology.
Rahul Singhvi, Sc.D., Chief Executive Officer of Resilience, said, “The partnership announced today is a major milestone for Resilience.” He further added, “We are grateful to have this opportunity to work with our partner to deliver important, life-saving medicines to patients. We understand the trust placed with us to manufacture the medicine with the highest quality, regulatory compliance, and reliability. We are committed to maintaining a responsible manufacturing operation that exceeds the expectations of our partners and enables us to make a meaningful impact on global healthcare.”
(Source – Business Wire)
With the addition of this alliance to its expanding commercial portfolio, the company anticipates generating record revenues in 2023.
About Resilience
Resilience is a technology-focused biomanufacturing startup. The company intends to increase access to sophisticated medications. The firm is establishing a long-term network of cutting-edge, all-inclusive manufacturing solutions to guarantee that the therapies of today and the future may be produced efficiently, securely, and at scale. Resilience aims to continuously develop the science of biopharmaceutical manufacture and development, so their partners concentrate on the discoveries that enhance patients' lives and safeguard biopharmaceutical supply chains from future disruptions.
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