Transcenta, a global biotherapeutics company with fully-integrated capabilities in discovery, development, and manufacturing of antibody-based therapeutics, and Merck, a leading science and technology company, have announced a strategic technology collaboration to implement continuous manufacturing for protein therapeutics at CIEI.

“To fulfill our mission to deliver high quality and affordable innovative biologics to patients around the world, Transcenta is advancing our highly productive ICB platform for the manufacturing of any protein biologics through process intensification, automation and power of continuous bioprocessing” said Chris Hwang, chief technology officer at Transcenta. “Merck’s BioContinuum Platform and broad portfolio make them an ideal collaborative partner to help us accelerate and realize the potential of ICB.”

This unique model of collaboration between Transcenta and Merck brings the teams together in real-time to converge single-use, continuous, and digital bioprocessing technologies for the further development of Transcenta’s integrated continuous bioprocessing (ICB) platform. As part of the initiative, Transcenta and Merck will co-develop a first-of-its-kind, single-use flow-through polishing system, one of the key elements of Transcenta’s ICB Platform.

The first phase of this multi-year partnership will focus on developing and designing the process technologies, single-use system, and automation, while the second phase will focus on an expanded scope of the process and digital technologies to optimize a continuous manufacturing process. This highly collaborative relationship leverages Merck’s BioContinuum™ Platform and extensive expertise in continuous processing to help realize Transcenta’s vision to implement fully continuous bioprocessing in GMP manufacturing in China.

“Merck’s commitment and extensive expertise in next-generation manufacturing uniquely position us to help transform Transcenta’s vision for a fully continuous manufacturing process into a reality,” said Ian Carmichael, vice president and general manager of Bioprocessing, Life Science, at Merck in China. “Our joint effort reflects a shared commitment to advance BioProcessing 4.0 and continuous bioprocessing to accelerate access to health for patients in China and across the world.”