Newark, DE, April 12, 2018 – The National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL), a proud member of Manufacturing USA, is pleased to welcome Genentech, Celgene, Merck, MilliporeSigma and EMD Serono (the U.S. businesses of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany), among others, to its growing membership base.
These companies join more than 79 organizations from 17 states to advance biopharmaceutical manufacturing innovation and train an advanced biomanufacturing workforce in the U.S. Other organizations in this U.S. Department of Commerce-initiated public-private partnership include leading academic institutions, small-to-medium sized enterprises (SMEs), and non-profit organizations.
“NIIMBL represents a unique opportunity to collaborate on innovative manufacturing technologies that will advance the industry,” said Greg Russotti, Vice President Technical Operations at Celgene Cellular Therapeutics.
Added Gregg Nyberg, Head of Biologics Process Development and Clinical Manufacturing, Merck and Co., Inc., “Merck is excited to be a member of the NIIMBL community. We look forward to collaborating with experts across industry, academic and government sectors to develop and advance
transformative biomanufacturing technologies.”
These companies join NIIMBL as Tier 1 members who lead activities including technology projects, workforce development programs, and regulatory science initiatives, with the goal of enhancing patient access to medicines. The collaborative environment allows for the development of new manufacturing technologies, approaches, and expertise that otherwise might not have been developed.
“Continued innovation is critical for developing new biopharmaceutical therapies to address key medical needs. NIIMBL provides a unique opportunity to accelerate efforts to address manufacturing challenges so that novel approaches and treatments reach and benefit patients in the future,” added Dana Andersen, Vice President Technical Development Project & Portfolio Management at Genentech.
Michael Phillips, Director, Next Generation Processing R&D at MilliporeSigma, said, “Advanced manufacturing solutions will have a significant impact on how the industry brings therapies to market, delivering them to patients faster and more cost-effectively than ever before. Collaborations are critical for the successful adoption and implementation of next-generation technologies. Through our partnership with NIIMBL, we will continue to collaborate with experts on methods and technologies of the future to guide our customers through this evolutionary process.”
NIIMBL has a strong commitment to supporting SMEs that are often the heart of innovation in the industry. NIIMBL provides such organizations with opportunities to showcase their technology to major manufacturers, to partner and collaborate on projects, and to benefit from shared services. To date, more than 25 small manufacturers and industry suppliers have joined NIIMBL. With additional support from the National Institute of Standards and Technologies (NIST) Manufacturing Extension Partnership program, NIIMBL includes staff dedicated to supporting the needs and interests of small manufacturers.
Academic members play a vital role in achieving the NIIMBL mission. Research-based universities help create transformative manufacturing technologies needed to advance the industry and community colleges play a central role in workforce training.
“The enthusiasm from the community, from start-ups to global players and from community colleges to state governments and federal agencies, has been astounding. As NIIMBL membership continues to grow and as our initial technology investments solve problems, the community’s engagement also grows, resulting in a U.S. biopharmaceutical manufacturing transformation that will save, sustain, and improve countless lives,” said Kelvin Lee, NIIMBL Institute Director.
To learn more about NIIMBL, please visit us at http://www.niimbl.org or contact us at [email protected].
About NIIMBL
The National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL) is a public-private consortium with the goal of advancing innovation in biopharmaceutical manufacturing. NIIMBL is part of Manufacturing USA, a network of manufacturing innovation institutes across the country that bring together industry, academia, and the public sector to propel early-stage research, accelerate new products to market, and train tomorrow’s workforce in order to secure America’s future. The NIIMBL mission is to accelerate biopharmaceutical innovation, support the development of standards that enable more efficient and rapid manufacturing capabilities, and educate and train a world-leading biopharmaceutical manufacturing workforce, fundamentally advancing U.S. competitiveness in this industry.