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New End-to-End Service Aims to Accelerate Antibody Manufacturing

Merck

Provantage® from Merck, accelerates development and manufacture of Acticor's antibody fragment that treats ischemic stroke

6 Dec 2016
Weylan Kiam-Laine
Microbiologist

Product news

Merck, a leading science and technology company, has announced that it will provide its Provantage® End-to-End services to Acticor Biotech SAS for accelerated development and manufacturing of Acticor's antibody fragment used for the primary treatment of ischemic stroke.

Merck's Provantage® End-to-End solution is a comprehensive suite of products and services enabling biopharmaceutical companies to accelerate progress of molecules into the clinic and toward commercialization.

"Our Provantage® End-to-End solution will provide Acticor with a fast and flexible approach to development and clinical-scale manufacturing," said Udit Batra, member of the Merck Executive Board and CEO, Life Science. "We look forward to executing full process development for the antibody fragment, which will help accelerate this important new molecule through the pipeline to patients in need."

The turnkey package includes process development, cGMP clinical manufacturing, quality and regulatory support, training, commercial facilities design, engineering and build-up as well as production equipment supply and process technical transfer activities.

"Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the world and the first cause of disabilities in adults," said Gilles Avenard, CEO, Acticor Biotech. "Motivated by these statistics, we are developing innovative therapeutic strategies for safe and effective emergency treatment of the acute phase of ischemic strokes. Through our collaboration with Merck, we now have access to a comprehensive set of development and manufacturing services that will help us deliver on our mission."

Merck's Provantage® End-to-End solution delivers important benefits and addresses key challenges for biopharmaceutical companies at all life cycle stages in any geography, including established biopharmaceutical companies decentralizing manufacturing that must rapidly and efficiently establish local production capabilities. With an end-to-end approach, Merck can facilitate and accelerate transfer of an entire process to a new location. Early-stage companies with limited manufacturing capabilities, resources and infrastructure benefit from a partner with best-in-class unit operations and the support and expertise to develop processes and production facilities.

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AntibodiesAntibodies are used in techniques such as confocal and fluorescence microscopy, flow cytometry, ELISA, ELISPOT, immunohistochemistry, western blotting and immunopreciptation. Select specific antigen reactivity, high specific affinity, low non-specific binding, monoclonal or polyclonal, primary or secondary antibodies and associated conjugates such as an enzyme or dye for visualization.Protein PurificationProtein purification is a vital step in drug discovery, therapeutics, biotech and life science research. The purification process typically involves subcellular or membrane protein extraction with cell lysis kits, separation of proteins from cell debris by filtration or spin columns, and the isolation of proteins of interest from other proteins and impurities with affinity purification (including fusion protein tags and antibody binding proteins A, G and L), immunoprecipitation or chromatographic methods, such as ion exchange, size exclusion and immobilized metal affinity chromatography. All purification methods come in multiple formats for your laboratory needs, including agarose or magnetic beads, resins, columns and filter plates. Find the best protein purification equipment in our peer-reviewed product directory: compare products, check customer reviews and receive pricing direct from manufacturers.Bioprocessing / FermentationBioprocessing is the use of biological materials to perform commercial, scientific or medical research processes. Biological materials used include cells, enzymes and organisms. Usually bioprocessing requires a batch or continuous bioreactor such as a fermentor or cell culture system. The advantages of using a reactor include high productivity, easy configuration, adjustable values and automation.Monoclonal AntibodiesMonoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are lab-made molecules that can bind to specific antigens on cells, making them highly effective in treating cancers, autoimmune diseases, and infections. These targeted therapies are transforming the treatment landscape for many conditions. Browse our peer-reviewed product directory to find monoclonal antibodies for research and clinical applications; compare products, check reviews, and get pricing directly from manufacturers.ManufacturingManufacturing is the production of merchandise for use or sale using labor and machines, tools, chemical and biological processing, or formulation.BiopharmaceuticalsBiopharmaceuticals are proteins and other compounds (such as nucleic acids) produced by living organisms that have uses as therapeutics or for in vivo diagnostics. The most well known example of a biopharmaceutical product, and the first to be approved for therapeutic use, was recombinant human insulin.Protein BiologyThe analysis of protein expression, identity and function is vital for many areas of life science research and drug discovery. Some of the most commonly used techniques in protein analysis include Western blotting, electrophoresis and mass spectrometry.Protein Synthesis

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New End-to-End Service Aims to Accelerate Antibody Manufacturing