Malvern has opened a new biopharmaceutical applications laboratory in San Diego’s biotechnology cluster.
The laboratory will allow customers and Malvern applications specialists to experience and use the company’s range of specialist biophysical characterisation systems in a working biopharmaceutical environment.
The applications lab was developed in partnership with Sevion Therapeutics, a San Diego-based biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops and acquires next-generation biologics.
Sevion Therapeutics will host the laboratory for which Malvern will provide analytical instrumentation, training and continuing support. The lab came on stream in May 2015.
Malvern global business manager Paul Davies said: "As evidenced by the work of our Bioscience Development Initiative team, Malvern is absolutely committed to providing cutting edge analytical instrumentation that meets the needs of the biopharmaceutical industry.
"We work very closely with all parts of the pharmaceutical industry, but the highly dynamic nature of biopharmaceutical development and the rapid pace of change make it imperative that we have a fully functioning applications laboratory in an environment where there is access to real-world protein formulations and where our instruments sit within the workflow of a commercial enterprise.
"I am absolutely delighted that Sevion Therapeutics is our partner in this venture."
Under the agreement, several different Malvern analysers will be installed in the applications laboratory.
Initially this will include two microcalorimeters. These will be the MicroCal PEAQ-ITC and a MicroCal VP-Capillary DSC; a Viscotek TDAmax multi-detector size exclusion chromatography system; and a Zetasizer Nano ZSP for the measurement of size, electrophoretic mobility of proteins, zeta potential of nanoparticles and surfaces, and optionally the microrheology of protein and polymer solutions.
Further protein characterisation technologies from Malvern’s portfolio will be installed at future dates.
Sevion Therapeutics chief technology officer Dr Jim Graziano said: "This venture provides a great opportunity for Sevion Therapeutics to access the latest biophysical measurement techniques and to help shape future developments.
"Malvern will provide extensive training and continuing support to our teams, and we will benefit both from having extended access to high value instrumentation and from Malvern’s technology and applications expertise.
"We’re especially excited to be adding differential scanning calorimetry to our armory and to being among the first to use the new MicroCal PEAQ-ITC system."
MicroCal PEAQ-ITC is the new-generation isothermal titration calorimeter (ITC) from Malvern. ITC has become an essential technique in drug discovery and development and the new system is designed to deliver the enhanced functionality and robust performance required.
Its guided workflows with embedded help videos and advanced data analysis software make the system ideal for generating high quality data within a multi¬user environment.
This new biopharmaceutical applications lab in San Diego adds to the list of Malvern applications laboratories in all major territories worldwide, underpinning Malvern’s commitment to supporting customers in all industries and geographies.
