Boehringer licenses high-pressure production technology
pharmafile | November 20, 2012 | News story | Manufacturing and Production |Â Â BaroFold, Boehringer IngelheimÂ
Boehringer Ingelheim has licensed a new technology from BaroFold which could improve the efficiency of biopharmaceutical production processes.
Colorado, US-based BaroFold has developed a way of using high pressures to control the shape manufactured proteins take, potentially boosting yields and throughput which in turn could reduce production costs.
By applying high pressures, the PreEMT platform prevents proteins from aggregating and encourages them to take on the most compact form, which BaroFold says is usually its native stable state.
“Biologically active, native protein is recovered within hours at yields as high as 100%, even at high protein concentrations,” according to the company, which says this cannot be achieved using other existing technologies.
PreEMT is scalable and has been used for the production of Phase I to Phase III clinical material in compliance with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP).
Boehringer will install a laboratory-scale reactor using the PreEMT ayatem at its microbial production facility in Vienna, Austria, which will used to refine biopharmaceutical production processes.
“This collaboration builds upon the exciting work we have completed with BaroFold over the last 18 months and enhances our strategy to integrate the most innovative technologies for biologic manufacturing,” said Georg Klima, executive director of process science at Boehringer’s Austrian unit.
“We will be able to leverage BaroFold’s high pressure refold technology on a variety of proteins under development at our facility in Vienna,” he added.
BaroFold’s technology has also been installed at a manufacturing facility in Billingham, UK, that was set up by Merck Biomanufacturing Network and was acquired by Fujifilm in 2011.
The PreEMT unit at the facility is being used to make BaroFeron (NU100), a recombinant human interferon beta in phase III development at Nuron Biotech.
Boehringer recently rebranded its 35-year-old contract manufacturing operations under the new BioXcellence brand. The company accounts for 23% of sales revenues and 23% of manufacturing capacity in the global biopharmaceuticals contract manufacturing market, according to market research consultancy Frost & Sullivan.
Phil Taylor
Related Content
Boehringer Ingelheim and LEO Pharma partner to develop treatment for generalised pustular psoriasis
Boehringer Ingelheim and LEO Pharma have partnered to commercialise and further develop Spevigo (spesolimab), a …
Boehringer Ingelheim acquires Nerio Therapeutics, strengthening immune-oncology profile
Biopharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim has announced the acquisition of drug discovery and development company Nerio …
Brainomix and Boehringer Ingelheim enter strategic partnership
Brainomix has announced that it has entered into a strategic partnership with Boehringer Ingelheim for …
