PPD says new multipurpose lab in Suzhou will help local drug developers and international firms targeting the Chinese market.
The US contract research organization (CRO) opened the 67,000 square-foot facility in the Suzhou New District, Jiangsu Province this month, explaining it will provide bioanalytical, biomarker and vaccine lab services.
Specific capabilities will include capacity for ligand-binding immunochemistry, liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and flow cytometry.
It will also provide custom assays for pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) analyses and immunogenicity assessments in both preclinical and clinical studies.
Christopher Fikry, executive vice president of PPD Laboratories, told Clinical Insider China is increasingly important as a market and drug R&D hub.
“PPD understands the importance that Chinese companies bring to the global drug development market. At the same time, the demand for high-quality laboratory services is increasing from both global and local customers.
“The technical capabilities, operational capacity and high-quality standards within our new Suzhou lab, combined with those of PPD's clinical development and other services within China, are designed to generate faster, more efficient and sustainable results for our local customers there, as well as the global pharmaceutical and biotech industry.”
PPD has also teamed up with oncology-focused testing lab NeoGenomics – which has a facility in the same building – to expand the range of biomarker services the new lab can offer.
PPD and NeoGenomics have a similar agreement in place at the former’s central lab in Singapore.
The CRO also plans to add central lab services in Suzhou in 2022 using its Preclarus database technology.
The Suzhou lab will create 300 jobs when fully operational, according to PPD.
Chinese market
Executive VP Christopher Fikry said the new facility would help both international pharmaceutical companies access the fast-growing Chinese market and local developers.
“We can now offer an in-country lab facility for clinical studies in China that provides the same capabilities that are available for studies at our other locations around the world.
“Through scientific excellence and consistent, high-quality delivery of critical data, we will help expedite the drug development process for customers who are either based or doing business in China.”
PPD’s presence in China already includes operations in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Taipei, Guangzhou and Shenyang. The company employs more than 1,100 professionals in over 70 cities across China.
The new lab is part of a wider focus on the market that saw PPD adopt the Mandarin name Bai Shi Yi for its China-based business.
Image: iStock/gopixa