NEWS
Two add more for ADCs
Lonza has added phase-appropriate support for the discovery and development of antibody-drug conjugates( ADCs) and other bioconjugates to its Advanced Synthesis offering. This now includes the full integration of the company’ s ADC technology platform comprising GlycoConnect antibody conjugation technology, HydraSpace polar spacer technology and toxSYN linker payloads.
All of these came to Lonza via the acquisition of Synaffix in 2023. The company has recently added its dualpayload ADC technology. This enables the development of next-generation ADCs to address tumour heterogeneity and drug-induced resistance by attaching two complementary cytotoxic agents to a single antibody with precisely controllable payload ratios.
Lonza has also added new scientific roles and continued the expansion of laboratory capacity at the site in Oss, Netherlands, enabling broader R & D activities across ADCs and emerging bioconjugate modalities. The site now“ combines rapid smallscale bioconjugate prototyping as a service with newly established scale-up capabilities to deliver pilot toxicology material, while providing onsite process and analytical development”, the firm said.
Separately, Axplora has announced a“ multi-million-euro investment” to add commercial-scale lyophilisation at its site at Le Mans, France, where it already has R & D-scale capabilities. This comes in response to booming demand from the ADCs market
The new capacity will be available from early 2027. Axplora stated that it will“ offer integrated manufacturing solutions for the isolation and handling of complex payload and linker intermediates, particularly where stability and safe handling are critical”.
Le Mans has over 20 years of ADC experience and experience in multiple payload classes, including tecans, auristatins, maytansines and pyrrolobenzodiazepines. This latest investment forms part of an € 30 million investment programme there and follows on from previous payload and capacity expansions.
ADC-related manufacture at Lonza
BASF to strengthen India hub
BASF’ s Global Business Services organisation has announced plans to bundle its finance and HR services at a new global hub at Hyderabad, India. The move is described as“ part of a broader transformation aimed at creating a consolidated service portfolio, driving standardisation and automation more effectively and leveraging cost-efficient locations”.
Existing regional Hubs in Berlin, Kuala Lumpur and Montevideo will continue to deliver services where these are bundled on a regional level. Supply chainrelated services will be consolidated at Kuala Lumpur and activities that must remain close to operations will continue to be delivered regionally or locally, BASF confirmed.
“ With this step, we plan to systematically strengthen Global Business Services to support BASF’ s strategy with the most competitive services structures,” said
Dr Dirk Elvermann, CFO and chief digital officer. Global Business Services consists of around 8,500 employees and also manages logistics, communication, regulatory, IP and EHSQ services.
This came shortly after BASF announced plans to open a global digital hub in Hyderabad within Q1. These hubs are centres of expertise that deliver standardised digital services at scale to its businesses worldwide. Others are located at Ludwigshafen, Madrid and Kuala Lumpur.
This is all part of a plan to reduce complexity and“ standardise and focus the digital portfolio on areas that generate the greatest value for BASF’ s core businesses”. The Global Digital Services division aims to reduce its global workforce“ significantly” by 2030, including at Ludwigshafen. It also plans to reduce the number of sites where digital specialists are based.
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