Samsung Bio looks to streamline antibody development process and help industry idenfity molecules with IND potential
The Korean CDMO launched the technology - S-DUAL and DEVELOPICK - at the BioProcess International (BPI) 2022 conference, held last week in Boston.
S-DUAL is designed to ensure optimized manufacturability of bispecific antibodies, while DEVELOPICK provides early insight and selection guidance to save time and cost to maximize efficiency, said Samsung Bio.
S-DUAL, continued the contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), is a high-yield bispecific antibody platform with a 99% chain-pairing success rate. “Its asymmetrical structure reduces risks associated with chemistry, manufacturing, and control (CMC), and thus ensures high binding affinity among chains to produce high titer and purity for optimized manufacturability.”
DEVELOPICK is a rapid developability assessment platform that systematically screens molecules at an early development stage to identify candidates with the best potential for advancement to Investigational New Drug (IND) and Biological License Application (BLA).
The CDMO said the development of pharmaceutical products commands an enormous amount of time, effort, and money. The rapid growth of the global biopharmaceutical market has prompted an increase in the number of drug candidates entering the discovery stage. However, only very few candidates – with the right stability and developability – make it to IND. "Therefore, to increase the chances of success, it is important to analyze the candidates early on and to select those with the best stability and developability."
Its new developability assessment platform scores drug candidates based on their developability criteria, and uses only small amounts of starting material to provide early insights into each drug candidate to predict those with the best developability, and give recommendations on the most appropriate formulation.
A poster described the design of DEVELOPICK and reviewed five different case studies to verify its accuracy of evaluation. “In all five cases, the predictions based on the results of the assessment aligned correctly with the actual evaluation after the development,” said the company.
Commenting on those platforms, John Rim, CEO of Samsung Bio, said: "Through these new development technologies, we provide early insight and ensure higher yield of molecules, ultimately enabling clients to reach commercialization much more efficiently."
CSR performance
Last week saw Samsung Bio also announce that it had been awarded the Gold Sustainability Rating from EcoVadis, an entity that evaluates the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) performances of companies in areas related to environment, labor, and human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement.
The company said it achieved a score of 71/100, which was 14 points higher than its previous ‘silver’ rating in 2021. According to the CDMO, it is now among the top 5% of the more than 100,000 companies worldwide assessed by EcoVadis.
“Achieving an EcoVadis Gold rating is further indication of Samsung Biologics’ strengthened ESG focus and our commitment to working with our suppliers and industry partners to reduce our environmental impact, integrate sustainable management, and build a more transparent, responsible value chain,” said the CEO.
Samsung Bio recently published its annual ESG report, disclosing its environmental management strategy that outlines a number of core activities to reduce emissions, including process energy optimization, transitioning to renewable energy, and minimizing the use of disposables in the manufacturing process through waste management and recycling. Responsible procurement is also another key element in the company’s sustainability strategy.
It also amended its supplier code of conduct in February in accordance with the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) and Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Initiative (PSCI), emphasizing its heightened focus on achieving a sustainable supply chain.
