Avantor, a global provider of mission-critical products and services to customers in the life sciences and advanced technologies and applied materials industries, has opened an innovation and customer support center in Shanghai, China to support biopharma research and technology development in the region. Avantor now has nine innovation centers worldwide.
 
The new Avantor laboratory will help biopharmaceutical companies accelerate the development of life-changing treatments for patients in the region. It will specifically focus on enhancing industry capabilities in the development and manufacture of safe and effective biological medicines such as monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and cell & gene therapy. These treatments show great potential in China and are a fast-growing segment of the bioprocessing industry worldwide. 
 
“As demand for therapeutic biologics increases worldwide, our latest investment in Asia is a testament to our belief in the potential of China as a critical innovation hub in the global biopharma industry,” said Ger Brophy, executive vice president, biopharma production, Avantor. “International leaders and local innovators alike will benefit from enhanced in-country access to Avantor’s workflow expertise, advanced raw material products and exacting quality standards.”
 
China has made biotech one of ten strategic growth sectors in the Made in China 2025 plan, with specific targets for innovation, export markets and import substitution. It is also prioritizing healthcare in general through initiatives such as Healthy China 2030. These priorities position the biopharma industry in China for dramatic expansion. At the same time, changes to China’s regulatory environment, public procurement policies and quality standards are driving biopharma companies to localize investments in developing new treatments and bringing safety and efficiency to drug production to deliver potentially life-saving therapeutics to the market smarter, faster, safer and at commercial scale.
 
Avantor’s biopharma innovation and customer support center will support biopharma companies by providing access to products, services, solutions and expertise for all stages of treatment development, from the small-scale bench, to pilot plant and full commercial biomanufacturing.
 
The center will focus on helping biopharma companies optimize their mAbs purification processes and accelerate their capabilities in raw material testing and qualification for cell and gene therapy. Leveraging Avantor insight into biopharmaceutical industry workflows, needs and challenges, the new facility will offer professional guidance on regulatory matters and training on Chromatography process optimization and materials qualification, as well as support proof-of-concept trials to help reduce process optimization delays. It will also provide access to a portfolio of industry-leading production solutions, single-use solutions and sera.
 
In the past two years alone, Avantor has doubled its footprint in China backed by a nationwide supply chain and a dramatically expanded channel network of more than 100 local partners. In 2010, it opened the region’s first innovation center in Taiwan. The company also has other innovation centers in GwangGyo, South Korea, Mumbai, India and Dehradun, India. Introducing this fifth innovation center in Asia reinforces Avantor’s commitment to moving science forward in the region.