Smart Biotech Scientist | The CMC and Bioprocessing Podcast for Process Development and Manufacturing Leaders 136: 5 Roadblocks to Affordable Biologics (And How to Overcome Them)
Sickle cell disease affects thousands with severe daily pain. While FDA-approved gene therapies exist, their $2.2 million cost per treatment makes them largely inaccessible.
In this episode of the Smart Biotech Scientist Podcast, David Brühlmann explores five key challenges facing the bioprocessing industry in making these therapies more accessible:
Moving Away from Platform Technologies
Traditional bioprocessing relies on platform technologies for antibody production. However, new therapies require more flexible, adaptable systems that can accommodate novel modalities.
Increased Personalization and Smaller Batch Sizes
Personalized medicine, especially autologous cell therapy, demands highly customized approaches. With batch sizes of one patient, traditional automation becomes challenging, requiring new methodologies.
Cultivating Sensitive Cells
Modern cell types need gentler handling than traditional CHO cells. Companies are developing innovative bioreactor technologies, from acoustic wave systems to stress-free cultivation methods.
The Cell as the Product
Cell-based products are billion times more complex than antibodies, requiring sophisticated production, monitoring, and quality control processes.
Accessibility and Cost Challenges
High treatment costs remain the biggest barrier. For example, only 21,000 of 900,000 eligible patients have received CAR T cell therapy due to financial constraints.
Moving Forward
Industry leaders across academia and pharma are collaborating to overcome these challenges through innovation and cost reduction. Every improvement brings us closer to making these treatments accessible to more patients.
Join us on the Smart Biotech Scientist Podcast as we explore innovative solutions to these challenges.
Next step:
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