Sourcing raw materials for cell therapy manufacture

‘Start working on raw materials early on’ – for Dieter Hauwaerts, Vice President of Operations at Celyad, the way to combat one of the biggest challenges in cell therapy manufacture is clear.

Limited availability of raw materials is a major issue for large scale manufacture of new therapies, but planning well in advance can help mitigate it: ‘In process development, take into account the quantity and quality of raw materials you will need in a clinical stage or commercial manufacturing process and build good relationships with suppliers.’

However, even with the necessary raw materials, Hauwaerts still sees issues with ‘the way we can manufacture products in a reliable and consistent way’, though he hopes that in 2017 automation will begin to negate this.

Watch the full exclusive interview with Hauwaerts – filmed at Cell Therapy Manufacturing & Gene Therapy Congress 2016 – above or here.