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Vitrology News

May 2012

Vitrology is Now Part of SGS, The World's Leading Inspection, Verification, Testing & Certification Company.

Vitrology Limited is pleased to announce its acquisition by SGS, the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company. The founding members of Vitrology see compelling synergies between the respective current testing activities of Vitrology and SGS. This is an exciting opportunity to provide our customers with an enhanced range of services complementing our core strengths and long experience in all aspects of biosafety testing.

SGS is recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity, employing over 70,000 people and operating a network of more than 1,350 offices and laboratories around the world. The Vitrology team and our facility in Glasgow, UK, will now join SGS’ international Life Science Services network of 18 laboratories in Belgium, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Singapore, Switzerland, Taiwan, UK, and USA. This global life science network offers an extensive range of laboratory and clinical trial services.

Your key contacts within the founding team of Vitrology will remain as follows:

  • Margaret Temple – Business Management
  • Dr Archie Lovatt – Scientific Operations
  • Jane Horan – Quality Assurance
  • Philippe Grimm – Marketing and Business Development
  • Dr Steve Gibson – will continue with his plans to retire once his activities are fully transferred.

Throughout the acquisition and integration please be assured that SGS Vitrology will continue to provide scientific services to you, our client, as before. The only expected change will be an enhancement of the range of services we can provide for you. Our contact details remain exactly the same. SGS Vitrology will continue to provide you with world-leading biosafety testing in support of your biopharmaceutical product development and manufacture.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you would like any further information regarding this exciting development and visit the SGS Life Science Services website to learn more about our new company: www.sgs.com/lifescience .”

New Assay Launch

May 2012

New QC assays launched from Q4 2011 to Q2 2012: Full 9CFR bovine and porcine by real time PCR, other bovine and porcine viruses that may go undetected by culture (eg TTV, bocavirus, hokovirus), Stem cell testing services (Treponoma, Gonorrhea and Chlamydia real time PCRs) ; RCA assays ; Induction Electron Microscopy studies for cell lines characterisation for the detection of inducible retroviruses (for Vaccines) ; HPV PCR; Nipah and Hog cholera Viruses by real time PCRs.


Beckman Coulter Genomics and Vitrology Ltd. Partner to Offer
Comprehensive Biologics Testing Solutions

Beckman Coulter Genomics.
Vitrology Biotech.

 

 

 

Alliance Provides One-Stop Biosafety Testing Service

January 2011

DANVERS, Mass., and GLASGOW, UK – (January 17, 2011) — Beckman Coulter Genomics and Vitrology Ltd. today announced a strategic partnership to offer customers a wide range of biosafety testing services. The alliance provides the biopharmaceutical industry with two inclusive sources for the full complement of molecular, in vitro and in vivo genomic services necessary for the identification, stabilization and purification of biological products.

The alliance also provides customers with access to the next generation sequencing technologies that are revolutionizing biology. It is widely recognized that massively parallel sequencing technologies hold incredible promise for the study of DNA sequence variation in vaccines, cell banks and gene therapy products, and allow the use of an open-question approach for the safety characterization of biologics.

“Partnering with leading-edge innovators to respond to the dynamic research needs of our customers worldwide is fundamental to our goals as a quality genomic services provider,” said Elena Jouravleva, global product manager for Biologics Testing Services at Beckman Coulter Genomics. “This alliance supplements Beckman Coulter’s existing biologics testing services, which have a focus on identity and stability testing, with Vitrology’s expertise in biosafety testing, in both Good Manufacturing Practice and Good Laboratory Practice environments.”

“We are pleased to partner with Beckman Coulter Genomics to offer the global biotechnology industry an array of scientific assays to fully characterize a wide range of biologics,” said Margaret Temple, CEO of Vitrology. “This dynamic new alliance is a natural fit, coupling Beckman Coulter Genomics’ sequencing and marketing capabilities with the experience of the Vitrology team to offer an expert source of safety testing with sequencing data and analysis. Both companies are committed to ensuring that they offer the appropriate range of assays to ensure clients can achieve regulatory authority approval for product safety.”

Beckman Coulter Genomics provides Sanger and next generation DNA sequencing, gene expression profiling, genotyping and biologics testing services. The collaboration between Beckman Coulter Genomics and Vitrology further expands and complements both companies’ extensive biologics testing services portfolios, which are available to clients worldwide.

About Beckman Coulter Genomics

Beckman Coulter Genomics, with headquarters in Danvers, Massachusetts, is a leading global provider of genomic services and nucleic acid purification products, serving life-science researchers and the pharmaceutical industry throughout the world. The company was created by combining Beckman Coulter’s Agencourt Bioscience with Cogenics. By providing technical expertise, combined with personalized service, Beckman Coulter Genomics delivers the highest quality data, robust analyses and innovative thinking. For more information, visit www.beckmangenomics.com

About Beckman Coulter Inc.

Beckman Coulter, Inc., based in Orange County, California, develops, manufactures and markets products that simplify, automate and innovate complex biomedical tests. More than a quarter of a million Beckman Coulter systems operate in laboratories around the world, supplying critical information for improving patient health and reducing the cost of care. Recurring revenue, consisting of consumable supplies (including reagent test kits), service and operating-type lease payments, represent about 80 percent of the company's 2009 revenue of $3.3 billion. For more information, visit www.beckmancoulter.com or www.beckmancoulter.com/75years.

About Vitrology Limited

Vitrology Limited is a contract testing organization based in Glasgow, Scotland, providing GMP and GLP assays to detect potential contaminants in biological products, as well as offering regulatory and consulting services. The company has a highly experienced team, whose members have tested a wide range of biopharmaceutical, vaccine and veterinary products, from pre-clinical to commercial stage, over a fifteen-year period. For more information, visit www.vitrologybiotech.com.

Beckman Coulter and the stylized logo are registered trademarks of Beckman Coulter, Inc.


Detection of Porcine Circovirus Contamination of Biological Samples by Real-time QPCR.

April 2010

A recent press releases from a major biopharmaceutical company reported the presence of Porcine circovirus Type-1 (PCV-1) DNA in their product. The drug maker confirmed its presence in both the cell bank and the virus seed from which the vaccine is derived, suggesting its presence from the early stages of vaccine development.

PCV is a single stranded DNA virus that is non-enveloped with a non-segmented circular genome. The viral capsid is icosahedral and approximately 17 nm in diameter. It is robust and difficult to remove or inactivate by physico-chemical means, including gamma irradiation.

Studies have shown that human cell lines can be infected with porcine circovirus type 1 (PCV1) and porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2). Infection of PCV1 was observed with HEK 293 and Hela cells. PCV1 can persist in cell lines without causing any visible changes, while PCV2-transfected cells can show a cytopathogenic effect. PCV contamination could possibly occur from the use of porcine trypsin in a cell lines history. Since most cell lines have been exposed to this reagent, the screening of all such cell substrates used for manufacture of clinical material is recommended.

To assist biotech companies in ensuring the absence of PCV-1 and PCV-2, Vitrology’s team of QPCR experts offer a highly sensitive, fully validated, cGMP compliant, routine nucleic acid based test capable of sensitively detecting PCV-1, PCV-2 and Bovine circovirus in biological samples.

French Ministry of Research Approves Vitrology Limited as R&D Subcontractor.

April 2010

Glasgow based Vitrology Limited has been successfully approved as a subcontractor for research and development projects by the French Ministry of Research. This approval enables private companies subject to corporate tax in France to claim R&D tax credits for work subcontracted to Vitrology Limited.

The approval process required the company to present a recent development project that demonstrated their competence as a subcontractor and as innovator.

Vitrology Limited has a number of French companies amongst its client base and this agreement will support future business growth.

Mr Philippe Grimm, Marketing Director of Vitrology Limited commented: "We are pleased to have received this approval which confirms the innovation energy of Vitrology in the Bio Safety testing market and allows our clients based in France to benefit from a tax incentive on any GMP/GLP studies performed at Vitrology."

Vitrology Limited is a contract research organization providing research and testing services to the animal health, pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries for pre-clinical, clinical and commercial biological drugs and vaccines.

For further information contact Philippe Grimm, Marketing Director, Vitrology Limited
T: +33 479 61 21 92 – email: philippe.grimm@vitrologybiotech.com

 

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