PathoQuest Joins CAACB Consortium as Viral Safety Expert

PathoQuest, a provider of quality control biologic testing solutions based on its proprietary next-generation sequencing (NGS) approach, has signed an agreement with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to join the Consortium on Adventitious Agent Contamination in Biomanufacturing (CAACB) as an associate member, the company announced in a Jan. 26, 2021 press release.

CAACB is an international consortium operating under the auspices of MIT’s Center for Biomedical Innovation (MIT–CBI). The consortium is primarily composed of biopharmaceutical companies and is committed to the exploration and study of approaches to controlling and mitigating the risk of adventitious agent contamination in biomanufacturing.

Under the agreement, PathoQuest will apply its 10-year experience in viral safety testing and quality control of biologics to contribute to research programs to help mitigate the risk of adventitious agent contamination in biopharmaceutical manufacturing. The collaboration is expected to translate into practical advances in this field and accelerate the adoption of NGS for the viral safety testing of biologics.

Audrey Brussel, PhD, PathoQuest’s viral safety leader, will be the company representative to the CAACB in continuation of her previous participation while employed by Sanofi and the pharmaceutical group LFB. Brussel will provide input based on PathoQuest’s expertise and knowledge associated with the use of NGS as a robust and cost-effective alternative for the viral safety of biologics.

“Joining the CAACB is a great opportunity to work closely with key opinion leaders and stakeholders in the field of biopharmaceutical manufacturing, to better understand our clients’ needs and perspective, and as a pioneer of the NGS-approach, to influence efforts to substitute traditional viral safety tests with NGS testing. The CAACB is a driving force in the biomanufacturing industry since it works to address biomanufacturing issues and identify practical solutions for biopharmaceutical manufacturers. PathoQuest will also participate in CAACB projects focused on the use of NGS to replace in-vivo quality control testing for biologics,” Brussel said in the press release.

“We are proud to be part of such an influential and expert international consortium that has significant participation from companies within the pharmaceutical biomanufacturing sector. We are confident PathoQuest will make a valuable contribution to this group and help move the industry forward to make bioproduction safer,” added Jean-François Brepson, PathoQuest’s CEO, in the press release.

Source: PathoQuest