Below the surface

As companies continue to magnify their efforts in the realms of manufacturing, Jeffrey L. Mooney highlights the importance in utilizing sufficient surface technologies.

From your perspective, what are the current hurdles being faced by the surface technology and manufacturing sectors, and how can they be overcome?

Jeffrey L. Mooney. With the increase in more stringent government regulations and heightened competitive pressures, gone are the days of spending hundreds of millions of dollars on state-of-the-art facilities. Pharmaceutical companies are opting to focus on manufacturing processes by, in part, identifying and utilizing scalable products and technologies that allow for smaller projects that are highly targeted. This move to more scalable technologies, such as disposable bioreactors and synthetic, non-biological cell culture surfaces, allows pharma companies to explore many different options simultaneously while minimizing costs, improving results and decreasing the effects of biological influences.

Additionally, stem cell research continues to advance and is playing the role of 'game changer.' Furthermore, the use of Contract Manufacturing Organizations (CMO) to meet economic cost targets is also playing a role and shaping the industry. The question becomes whether pharma and biotech companies will continually move to CMOs or if the final solution will be a CMO with all forms of scale-up handled in-house. That answer is still being determined. 

With the industry looking to streamline its manufacturing processes to become more cost-effective, what technologies do you have in your armoury to ensure you continue to remain competitive as the industry evolves?

JM. Corning Life Sciences places an emphasis on investment in R&D, product and technology innovation, and meeting customer needs. Our business brings to pharma companies a unique combination of core capabilities in materials, surfaces and biophotonics to deliver high value products for both research and drug discovery and development including, cell culture/cell scale- up technologies and high throughput label free detection and screening. Most recently, Corning introduced the Corning Synthemax Surface, for Xeno-free growth of both primary cells and stem cells. Corning also provides pharmas with a wide range of cell biology products, which allows for 'cells to assays' solutions - enabling growth and scale-up of cells for assays and protein expression. Corning has commercialized numerous technologies for scale-up and production including HYPERFlask Vessels, CellSTACK Culture Chambers and CellCube Systems. Corning also offers a full line of 96, 384, and 1536 well microplates for assays, storage, drug transport and protein crystallography.  Additionally, its Epic technology provides pharmas with a leading high throughput label free detection system. Corning continues to advance its position in label free detection by providing protocols for biochemical and cell based assays as well as providing enabling methodologies for drug repositioning and early toxicology profiling.

As pharma firms look to head into more complex compounds dealing with higher levels of unmet medical need, how does the dynamic change between yourselves and your clients - especially considering the need for open collaboration within the industry?

JM. With the rapid changes taking place today, specifically regarding the complexity of research to meet advanced medical needs,a one-size-fits-all approach will not work. The key will be close working relationships between pharmas and vendors based upon open and frequent dialogue that breaks down silos and drives product and technology innovation to meet researchers' needs and maximize results.   

Where do you see the world of surface technology manufacturing heading in the next few years?

JM. The future of surface technologies and manufacturing is moving more and more towards surfaces that enable close in vivo cell environments, synthetic surfaces that are scalable in formats, and Xeno-free surfaces. Additionally, because research and the technologies that support it are progressing so rapidly, a solid understanding of both current technology and new technologies will be paramount - further emphasizing the need for open relationships to ensure emerging needs and the rate of innovation are in lock-step. 

About

Dr. Jeffrey L. Mooney is the commercial technology director at Corning Life Sciences and is responsible for assessing and developing product concepts and technologies for genomics, proteomics, and advanced life sciences. Mooney has Bachelors and Masters degrees in biology from Gettysburg College and Villanova University respectively and a Master of Arts Doctorate in biology from Temple University. He has more than 50 patents and 15 publications relating to genes essential for growth, microarrays, high throughput cDNA cloning and sequencing.