Monday 15th September: Pre-Conference Day - ET (Eastern Time, GMT-05:00)
- Introduction
- Objectives and outline of course
- Main development stages and regulatory cadre
- The main streams of activity from cell line to drug product
- The CTD for Regulatory filings. Quality Module – overview of main sections
- The importance of CMC : Quality (and Safety and Efficacy)
- Supply
- The pillars of pharmaceutical development
- Criticality Assessment
- Control strategy & Validation
- QBD Principles
- Most relevant regulatory Guidance and where to find it MH
Quiz
- Thomas Chattaway - Senior Life Science Consultant, Independent
- Margit Holzer, Ph.D. - Scientific Director, Ulysse Consult S.a.r.L
- Christopher Hwang - Executive Vice President & CTO, Transcenta Therapeutics/HJB
- Shireen Goh - Associate Professor, Singapore University of Technology & Design (SUTD)
- Matthias Müllner - CEO, bespark*bio
- David Humphreys, PhD - Executive Director and Head of Antibody and Novel Therapeutics, UCB Pharma
- Giovanna Iosca - Fermentation Specialist, Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark
- Nathan Crook - Assistant Professor, NC State University
- Introduction to Biopharmaceutical Life Cycle.
- Explain what upstream bioprocessing involves: the early stages of production, including cell culture and fermentation.
- Outline the key objectives: generating the desired biological product through cell growth and expression.
- Discuss the selection of cell lines (e.g., CHO cells, microbial cells).
- Introduce bioreactors and their role in providing a controlled environment for cell growth.
- Discuss different types of bioreactors (e.g., stirred-tank, wave, single-use) and their applications.
- Explain the fermentation process and its parameters (e.g., pH, temperature, oxygen levels).
- Explain the importance of culture media in supporting cell growth and productivity.
- Describe the process of scaling up from lab-scale to commercial-scale production.
- Highlight current trends in upstream bioprocessing (e.g., single-use technologies, continuous processing).
- Discuss future directions and innovations in the field.
- Michael Butler - Principal Investigator, Cell Technology, NIBRT
- Explain what downstream bioprocessing involves: the purification and formulation of the biological product after cell culture and fermentation.
- Outline the key objectives: ensuring product purity, quality, and stability.
- Describe the process of harvesting cells or extracellular products from the bioreactor.
- Explain the methods used for cell separation (e.g., centrifugation, filtration).
- Introduce the main purification methods: chromatography, filtration, and precipitation.
- Describe different types of chromatography (e.g., affinity, ion-exchange, size-exclusion) and their applications.
- Explain the principles and applications of ultrafiltration and diafiltration.
- Stefano Menegatti - Associate Professor, North Carolina State University
- Review of the main streams and initial status
- Broad requirements for Tox and for First in Human Studies
- Cell banking
- Other Raw materials
- Drug Substance Process and Manufacture
- Minimum requirements
- Understanding your process :
- Impurities : identity, clearance, control
- First steps towards a control strategy
- Adventitious contamination and Viral Clearance Studies
- Drug formulation and Drug Product Processing
- Analytical package
- Release methods definition and development
- From method performance to method validation
- In Process Controls (else cover under process?)
- Batch data in the submission
- Product Characterisation and Reference standard
- Stability ( DS and DP)
- Forced degradation studies : necessity and importance
- Why is stability important ?
- Different type of stability studies and typical package for PhI
- Shelf life assignment
- Thomas Chattaway - Senior Life Science Consultant, Independent
- Margit Holzer, Ph.D. - Scientific Director, Ulysse Consult S.a.r.L
Round Table 1: Scaling CP: From Bench to Plant
- What breaks between lab-scale CP and full-scale implementation?
- What scale counts as “commercially viable” for CP?
- What's missing in current tech to make this easier
Round Table 2: The Business Case for Hybrid and CP Models
- How do you model ROI on continuous or hybrid investments?
- What incentives drive adoption (speed, cost of goods, flexibility)?
- When is it worth revisiting old filings to modernize an existing process?
Round Table 3: Continuous But Flexible: Connected vs Fully Continuous Systems
- Is connected processing a stepping stone or an endpoint?
- When is hybrid actually better than true CP?
- Charles Sardonini - Consultant to the Biotechnology Industry, Sardonini Consulting, LLC
- Yue Liu, PhD - CEO, Ab Studio Inc.
- Targeting ligand selection and impact on isotope selection
- Advancements in radiochemistry for improving the safety & efficacy of radiopharmaceuticals
- E.g. use of chelators to attach radioligands to targeting vehicle
- Impacts on manufacturing and quality
- Dealing with variability in radioisotope production
- Implementing robust quality control measures for radioactive materials
- Optimizing manufacturing processes to account for isotope decay
- Strategies for consistent batch-to-batch production
- Considerations for new radioisotopes and indications
- Biodistribution
- Metabolism, Excretions and Decay
- CMC considerations
- Jarrod Longcor - Chief Operating Officer, Cellectar Biosciences
- Steffen Goletz, PhD - Full Professor, Head of Biotherapeutic Glycoengineering and Immunology - Institute for Biotechnology & Biomedicine, Danish Technical University
- Abraham Lenhoff - Allan P. Colburn Professor, University of Delaware
- Growing importance of digitalization, AI, and machine learning in the biopharma industry.
- Key pillars of digital transformation in biopharma.
Key Areas of Digitalization
- Data Management and Integration (from Development to Manufacturing).
- Automation and Robotics in bioprocess workflows.
- Real-time Monitoring and Advanced Analytics for process optimization.
Applications in Bioprocessing
- Use of digital twins and AI to optimize upstream and downstream unit operations.
- Role of ML/AI-driven tools for Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMP) manufacturing.
- AI-driven real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance, and anomaly detection in production lines.
- Simulation-based process development for rapid scale-up.
Challenges and Considerations
- Overcoming data silos and ensuring system interoperability.
- Addressing regulatory requirements for AI and digital tools in GMP environments.
- Ensuring data quality, integrity, and security in digitalized workflows.
- Bridging talent gaps and fostering a digitally skilled workforce.
Case Studies
- Real-world examples of digital transformation in bioprocessing.
- Lessons learned from integrating AI-driven tools in ATMP production.
Future Trends and Directions
- Adoption of Industry 4.0 principles in biopharma manufacturing.
- Emerging technologies such as edge computing and IoT for bioprocessing.
- Sustainability and digitalization: How to?
- Mark Duerkop - Chief Executive Officer, Novasign, Austria
- Review of the main streams and initial status
- Broad requirements for Tox and for First in Human Studies
- Cell banking
- Other Raw materials
- Drug Substance Process and Manufacture
- Minimum requirements
- Understanding your process :
- Impurities : identity, clearance, control
- First steps towards a control strategy
- Adventitious contamination and Viral Clearance Studies
- Drug formulation and Drug Product Processing
- Analytical package
- Release methods definition and development
- From method performance to method validation
- In Process Controls (else cover under process?)
- Batch data in the submission
- Product Characterisation and Reference standard
- Stability ( DS and DP)
- Forced degradation studies : necessity and importance
- Why is stability important ?
- Different type of stability studies and typical package for PhI
- Shelf life assignment
- Thomas Chattaway - Senior Life Science Consultant, Independent
- Margit Holzer, Ph.D. - Scientific Director, Ulysse Consult S.a.r.L
- Anticipating the needs on the work streams
- Process Understanding and Design
- Technology Transfer
- Dealing with changes and Comparability
- Thomas Chattaway - Senior Life Science Consultant, Independent
- Margit Holzer, Ph.D. - Scientific Director, Ulysse Consult S.a.r.L
- Jaeweon Lee, Ph.D - Student, University of Massachusetts Lowell
Spotlight Presentation – Calling all Technology Thought Leaders!
Whether you're increasing your company profile, launching a new product or focusing on new business development opportunities, collaborate with us to identify custom solutions to help you reach your goals.
Contact us today to learn more: Partners@informaconnectls.com
- Engin Ayturk - Senior Director, CMC BioConjugation, Process Development & Manufacturing, Exelixis
Dual payload Antibody Drug Conjugates have emerged as a promising modality to combat resistance mechanisms in patients, but novel conjugation strategies are required to enable production of this exciting therapeutic class.
- Payload selection criteria for dual-payload Conjugates
- Evaluation of conjugation strategies for use in dual-payload Conjugates
- Introduction of the CysTyr platform for production of Multi-Payload Conjugates and review of differentiated activity in resistance models
- Marco Lobba - CEO, CatenaBio
Spotlight Presentation – Calling all Technology Thought Leaders!
Whether you're increasing your company profile, launching a new product or focusing on new business development opportunities, collaborate with us to identify custom solutions to help you reach your goals.
Contact us today to learn more: Partners@informaconnectls.com
- Stefano Menegatti - Associate Professor, North Carolina State University
- John Woodley - Professor, Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Technical University Denmark
- Understanding emerging therapies: distinctions between cell therapy, gene therapy, etc.
- Therapeutic potential and current clinical landscape of different emerging therapies, unique challenges and opportunities presented.
- Differences and similarities from ‘traditional’ biologics:
- What learnings can we take from traditional modalities to approach novel modalities?
- Understanding the Cell Therapy and Gene Therapy manufacturing processes.
- Best practices when entering/transitioning into the advanced therapy industry.
- Leveraging experiences from your background into industry.
- Strategies and approaches to best utilise available technologies in the development & production of emerging therapies.
- Moving and translating research from academia, to start up, industry, and beyond.
- Understanding the difference between these, how to transition, pros and cons.
- Lessons and experiences from our panellists.
- The evolution of biopharmaceutical modality
- Analytical methods and their purpose in biopharmaceutical development and manufacturing
- Analytical method development and validation
- Product physicochemical characterization - high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), capillary electrophoresis (CE), spectroscopy, imaging, and post-translational modification (PTM)
- Product biological assays - cell-based assays (CBA), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), and potency assays
- Microbiological contaminants - sterility testing, endotoxin testing, and microbial limits testing
- Process impurity testing - host cell DNA, host cell proteins, chromatography ligand
- Role of quality control (QC) and quality assurance (QA) in biopharma
- Case studies and industry examples
- Latest and future advancements in analytical methods and quality assurance
- Gap analyses of the studies available to prepare a Phase 1 submission.
- 4 teams (Analytics, DS, DP, Materials) to cover different parts of case
- 30 – 45 min work in groups : Brief :
- do the existing studies support a Phase 1 file and what are the risks involved?
- Recommendation on eventual additional or superfluous studies
- Map studies / data onto CTD modules (if time)
- 60 min debrief (15 min / group)
- General Conclusions and End of Session
- Thomas Chattaway - Senior Life Science Consultant, Independent
- Margit Holzer, Ph.D. - Scientific Director, Ulysse Consult S.a.r.L
- Christoph Herwig - Senior Scientific Advisor, Körber Pharma Austria GmbH, Austria
- Yanhuai Ding - Sr . Director, CMC DS/DP, Evolve Immune Therapeutics
- Optimizing bioconjugation processes for dual-payload ADCs
- E.g. Cysteine conjugation, amino acid incorporation, for payload attachment
- Varying payload incorporation
- Manufacturing considerations for site-specific conjugation
- Analytical method development for complex ADCs
- CMC aspects of regulatory submissions for novel ADCs
- Balancing molecular potency with manufacturability from day one.
- Key trade-offs: Choosing between established platforms and bespoke processes.
- Using in silico and predictive tools to de-risk development.
- Aligning discovery and CMC teams for streamlined success.
- Applying today's lessons to the next wave of complex therapeutics.
- Krist V. Gernaey - Professor, Technical Univirtsity of Denmark
- Michael Daniele - Associate Professor, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, NC State University
- Gary Gilleskie - BTEC’s Executive Director, NC State University
- The evolution of biopharmaceutical modality
- Analytical methods and their purpose in biopharmaceutical development and manufacturing
- Analytical method development and validation
- Product physicochemical characterization - high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), capillary electrophoresis (CE), spectroscopy, imaging, and post-translational modification (PTM)
- Product biological assays - cell-based assays (CBA), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), and potency assays
- Microbiological contaminants - sterility testing, endotoxin testing, and microbial limits testing
- Process impurity testing - host cell DNA, host cell proteins, chromatography ligand
- Role of quality control (QC) and quality assurance (QA) in biopharma
- Case studies and industry examples
- Latest and future advancements in analytical methods and quality assurance
Round off your day at BPI School with an interactive and insightful discussion:
- Learnings of the day and a chance to recap:
- Key trends and challenges in biopharmaceutical manufacturing, upstream and downstream.
- The impact of digitalization on the future of biopharma.
- Emerging therapies: Opportunities and obstacles.
- How to utilize and implement analytics tools
- Q&A and interactive discussion with industry experts.
- Bridging the gap between theory and practice in biopharma.
- Michael Butler - Principal Investigator, Cell Technology, NIBRT
- Stefano Menegatti - Associate Professor, North Carolina State University
- Mark Duerkop - Chief Executive Officer, Novasign, Austria