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Pre-clinical

Pre-clinical phase

Pre-clinical testing establishes that the target compound demonstrates the safety and efficacy necessary to advance to human testing. At this stage, in vitro and in vivo testing can require several years and if successful, leads to the preparation and filing of an Investigational New Drug (IND) application.


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Toxicology testing services are critically important. A broad spectrum of in vitro and in vivo toxicology testing is required and must be designed in accordance with international guidelines, conducted in full compliance with good laboratory practice (GLP) regulations.

Process Development Considerations

  • Cell line development
  • Clone selection
  • Media and feed screening
  • Upstream process development
  • Master cell bank establishment
  • Downstream process development
  • Formulation development
  • Analytical methods development and optimization
  • Analytical process development support
  • Biosimilars comparability analytical programs
Infographic of BioReliance® cell line development services during pre-clinical phase of new drug investigation

Figure 1.Cell Line Development. A. BioReliance® Product Characterization. B. BioReliance® Cell Banking & Storage. C. BioReliance® Cell Line Development. D. BioReliance® Cell Line Characterization.

Cell Line Development Considerations

  • Clone choice – cell lines that can produce the biologic at a sufficient titer and quality
  • Robustness studies – studies that replicate scale-up conditions
  • Genetic stability – protein production and quality should remain stable after >60 generations of cells

Process Development Considerations

  • Process efficiency – eliminating wasteful steps and capacity utilization
  • Process viability – reproducibility through scale-up and tech transfer
  • Financial viability – balancing productivity with cost
Infographic of considerations affecting the pre-clinical phase of new drug development

Technology Considerations

  • Flexibility – single-use equipment enhances flexibility, templating, and rapid suite configuration, and reduces cleaning costs
  • Scalability – when choosing technologies at the earliest stages, such as scaling a bioreactor used for mammalian cell culture from 3 L to 200 L to 2000 L
  • Ease of use – solutions include pre-assembled sterile process flow paths; connectors that allow for aseptic connection, disconnection, and re-connection

Regulatory Considerations

  • Patient safety – clinical development milestones must assess safety and product effectiveness
  • Product quality and process robustness – data collection and analysis are needed to confirm
  • Filing strategy – knowing the countries where filing will happen should guide who inspects the manufacturing facility

Business Considerations

  • Speed to clinic – heavy investments are being made in research and development without returns
  • Process efficiency – proactively consider scale-up, not just initial speed
  • Filing strategy – identify the country to file in first and rapidly obtain access to the market

Access to the right resources helps you focus on discoveries with the greatest potential to help patients in need. Select your stage of the development process to learn more or follow the product and service links for resources.


Biotech Hub Resources Workflow

Biotech Resource Hub

Biotech Resource Hub

Starting your journey to successful drug discovery, development, and commercialization

Discovery

Identifying the considerations, resources, and support you need to develop a new biologics candidate

Phase I–II

Accelerating your process development with tips, templates, and application guides

Phase III and Manufacturing

Progressing from scale-up and tech transfer to quality production for trials and commercialization

Startup Programs

Connecting with resources and grant programs that can unlock your molecule’s potential

Regulatory

Navigating one of the world’s most regulated industries starts with a trusted guide






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