Lonza and ABL Bio partner on bispecific antibody development for immuno-oncology and neurodegenerative diseases

Lonza (LON:0QNO) and South Korea-based ABL Bio (KOSDAQ:298380) have joined forces to accelerate bispecific antibody development for immuno-oncology and neurodegenerative diseases. Over email, Basel, Switzerland–headquartered Lonza noted that its experience with novel molecular formats enables the company to handle ABL Bio’s unique challenges.

In the partnership, Lonza will provide submission-ready chemistry, manufacturing and controls (CMC) data for investigational new drugs (INDs), explained Andrew Brown, Lonza’s head of global process development support. “Leveraging more than three decades of expertise and innovative technologies, we provide an integrated drug substance and drug product program,” Brown said. “Thanks to our experience with new molecular formats, we know how to handle [ABL Bio’s] specific challenges.”

In the domain of bispecific antibody development, Lonza supports customers with problem-solving aiming…

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Prominent cell and gene therapy vendors in 2023

[Image courtesy of catalin/Adobe Stock]

In recent years, the cell and gene therapy market has grown at a rapid clip. The momentum is likely to continue. According to Vision Research Reports, the global cell and gene therapy market size could hit around $42.56 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 39% from 2022 to 2030.

The burgeoning demand in the industry, along with an increasing number of FDA-approved therapies, is also fueling the growth of cell and gene therapy vendors offering tools and services for product development and manufacturing.

The following table includes notable vendors and suppliers active in the call and gene therapy marketplace. This curated selection of companies includes a brief overview of their focus areas.

We have a separate feature focused on companies with prominent cell and gene therapy development efforts.

Company Name Description Notable partnerships Founded He…
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100 top cell and gene therapy companies to watch in 2023

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The cell and gene therapy sector is poised to deliver a wave of new therapies that could potentially cure rare and common diseases. As many as 13 new cell or gene therapies could be approved for use in the U.S., Europe, or both by the end of 2023.

While manufacturing and regulatory challenges remain, the cell and gene therapy industry continues to offer significant therapeutic potential and commercial opportunities.

This year, we have beefed up our list of leading cell and gene therapy companies, doubling the number of organizations from 50 to 100.

In selecting the companies for this list, we weighed public companies’ degree of involvement in cell and gene therapy, including drug developers, equipment vendors and CDMOs specializing in the area. For private companies, we factored in their funding levels, pipeline and degree of history for the list.

B…

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Lonza expands early-development services with new Cambridge lab

CDMO giant Lonza Group (OTCMKTS:LZAGY) has revealed its plans to establish a new lab in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The facility will primarily support small- and medium-sized biotech companies. In particular, the facility will help clients optimize candidates by detecting and resolving potential issues in the early-stages of development before starting clinical trials.

This move is part of Lonza’s wider strategy to expand its presence in Europe and North America.

The new Cambridge lab, slated to become operational in May 2023, will mark the expansion of Lonza’s Early Development Services (EDS) into the North American market.

Lonza’s EDS initiative provides a complete range of in silico and in vitro early stage services to help pharmaceutical and biotech firms minimize risks and optimize their selection of late-stage candidates and lead candidate development. Additionally, EDS offers early, phase-specific non-GMP protein expression throug…

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Q&A: Getting solid form selection right in early drug development

[Image courtesy of Artem Egorov via iStock Photo]

A significant milestone in early pharmaceutical development is the selection of the lead solid form. This step can be tricky, however, because about 90% of organic molecules have multiple forms. But problems at this stage can spell trouble down the line for drug candidates’ manufacturability, stability and bioavailability.

Because many smaller drug developments don’t have the physical assets needed to screen for solid forms, it is common to work with external partners at this stage.

To learn more about screening for solid forms, we interviewed Michael Morgen, R&D director of Bend, Oregon–based Lonza Bend Small Molecules, a subsidiary of Lonza Group AG (SWX:LONN).

In the following interview, Morgen discusses the solid form landscape and advises selecting the most suitable chemical and physical form of an API. Morgen also explains how …

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Lonza bolsters HPAPI multipurpose suite for payload linkers in Switzerland

Contract development and manufacturing organization Lonza has completed the expansion of its highly potent API (HPAPI) multipurpose suite in Visp, Switzerland. The expansion gives Lonza additional development and manufacturing capacity for antibody-drug conjugates (ADC) payloads. The site includes a range of equipment for manufacturing payload linkers.

Divided into cleavable and non-cleavable types, linkers are a vital component of ADCs as they connect an antibody with a drug (payload) through a chemical bond.

Lonza anticipates that the ADC market will grow swiftly, given the demand for novel targeted cancer therapeutics.

The company has announced a series of expansions in recent years, including investing in upgraded drug manufacturing services last year.

To learn more about the most recent expansion, we reached out to Lonza’s Giovanna Libralon, senior director, commercial development, small molecules and Iwan Bertholjotti, senior director, comme…

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Lonza expands particle engineering services in Monteggio, Switzerland

The Swiss multinational manufacturing firm Lonza (SWX:LONN) has bolstered its particle engineering services available at its site in Monteggio, Switzerland.

In particular, the new site will offer X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) services.

XRPD is a rapid analytical technique that offers insight into the polymorph and solid-state properties of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs).

Lonza employees at the Monteggio site will use various analytical techniques to study the solid state of crystalline materials.

“The implementation of XRPD provides additional analytical information, highlighting differences in the solid state of materials before and after micronization, and determining whether additional processing is needed,” said Salvatore Mercuri, associate director, new product introduction and MSAT, in a statement. “The XRPD improves our ability to detect solid state changes induced by the micronization process early in development and allows the…

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New CEO and CFO take over at bone-cutting robot maker AOT

AOT CEO Elmar Zurbriggen (right) and CFO Peter Oprandi with the company’s CARLO system [Photo courtesy of AOT]Advanced Osteotomy Tools (AOT) announced that Elmar Zurbriggen will become CEO and Peter Oprandi will become CFO effective tomorrow.

Basel, Switzerland-based AOT developed the world’s first certified surgical device to cut bone with a laser. The system is called CARLO, for Cold Ablation Robot-guided Laser Osteotome. 

“Elmar and Peter have both gained decades of experience as senior managers in the life science sector, working for global market leaders such as Johnson & Johnson, DePuy Synthes, AstraZeneca and Lonza,” AOT Chair Dr. Erich Platzer said in a news release. “We are delighted that they are now supporting AOT as CEO and CFO. Our goal is to improve patient care with innovative high-tech products. Elmar and Peter are exactly the right leaders for this.”

Get the full story at our sister site, Medical Design & Outsourcing.

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New CEO and CFO take over at bone-cutting robot maker AOT

AOT CEO Elmar Zurbriggen (right) and CFO Peter Oprandi with the company’s CARLO system [Photo courtesy of AOT]

Advanced Osteotomy Tools (AOT) announced that Elmar Zurbriggen will become CEO and Peter Oprandi will become CFO effective tomorrow.

Basel, Switzerland-based AOT developed the world’s first certified surgical device to cut bone with a laser. The system is called CARLO, for Cold Ablation Robot-guided Laser Osteotome. 

“Elmar and Peter have both gained decades of experience as senior managers in the life science sector, working for global market leaders such as Johnson & Johnson, Depuy Synthes, AstraZeneca and Lonza,” AOT Chair Dr. Erich Platzer said in a news release. “We are delighted that they are now supporting AOT as CEO and CFO. Our goal is to improve patient care with innovative high-tech products. Elmar and Peter are exactly the right leaders for this.” Read more

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