SGS is investing more than $1.7 million to expand its North American biopharmaceutical testing capabilities at its Lincolnshire facility near Chicago, IL. The investment in both expertise and equipment, will extend the biopharmaceutical testing services offered by SGS’s current U.S. and Canadian Life Science facilities. The new services will focus on quality control analysis and stability testing of biopharmaceuticals using state-of-the-art methodologies and instrumentation. Installation of all equipment will be completed in 1Q19.
 
The site currently offers a wide range of analytical services, and has adapted 313 cubic meters of stability storage to meet the lower temperature regulatory requirements for peptides and proteins. This additional investment will allow SGS to offer greater capacity for GMP  biologics testing capabilities in North America for its biopharmaceutical clients. 
 
“Because of its strategic geographic location, in what is a rich cluster of biopharmaceutical companies, strengthening the capabilities at the Lincolnshire laboratory will allow SGS to act as a local partner for innovators looking for expertise in biopharmaceutical analysis,” said James Nokes, Vice President of U.S. Agriculture, Food and Life at SGS. “SGS maintains its commitment to invest in its network of laboratories to offer integrated solutions, and evolve for both the local and global needs of its clients.” 
 
This new development is part of a wider program of investments in the company’s global laboratory network. In August 2017, SGS announced a 50% expansion of its Lincolnshire laboratory, growing its footprint to nearly 58,000 sq. ft.  Increases in extractables and leachables capabilities have also taken place at Fairfield, New Jersey, and Shanghai, China; while French facilities at Poitiers and Villeneuve-la-Garenne have seen investment in bioanalytical capabilities and elemental analysis respectively.