Case Study
Ensuring biopharmaceutical safety
The Challenge
An increasing number of new medications, including treatments for cancer and autoimmune diseases, are produced in living, genetically modified cells. Companies must use sophisticated techniques when making these drugs, known as biopharmaceuticals, to ensure that they are uniform, safe, and effective, and that manufacturing processes comply with local and country regulations. The skills and knowledge required by drug manufacturers and regulators alike are in high demand worldwide.
BATL ensures that regulators and industry scientists are properly trained in the growing field of biopharmaceuticals. Agilent is thrilled to be a partner.”
Darlene Soloman
Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Agilent
The Partnership
Northeastern’s Biopharmaceutical Analysis Training Laboratory, or BATL, trains scientists and drug regulators worldwide in the best practices for producing biopharmaceuticals. With a grant from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, Northeastern built a new, expanded BATL at its Innovation Campus in Burlington, Massachusetts, doubling space for testing the drugs and for teaching manufacturing standards.
To support BATL’s goals, the lab’s director, Jared Auclair, who also directs Northeastern’s biotechnology and bioinformatics programs, has partnered with Agilent, a global leader in life sciences, diagnostics, and applied chemical markets. In exchange for Agilent’s latest instrumentation, automated liquid handlers, reagents, and cloud-based technologies, Auclair and his team are helping the company refine its products and processes. And thanks to mixed reality, BATL’s instructors can now digitally transmit to a student anywhere a view of the techniques and equipment they are demonstrating in the lab.
The Goal
By teaming up with Agilent, BATL expands its capability to deliver experiential training to regulators all over the world. Auclair says the partnership helps position BATL at the forefront of a burgeoning industry. Meanwhile, BATL is advancing Agilent’s mission: to improve human health and quality of life.