» Biotechnological processes for personalized medicine
Many special measures for batch size 1
The smaller the drug batches, the more difficult the processes: In modern cell therapies, it even goes down to batch size 1, which is then unique for use in a very specific patient – personalized medicine.
One example is the fight against cancer. Tumor cells differ from patient to patient. Consequently, cells should be taken individually, genetically decoded and the therapy adapted accordingly. This leads to the production of mRNA vaccines, as known from Covid therapy, but against cancer on a patient-specific basis.
While this still sounds like a dream of the future, CAR-T cell therapy is already being used to treat cancer: T cells from the patient’s blood are multiplied outside the patient’s body, biotechnologically modified and equipped with antigen-specific receptors. The active substance obtained in this way is then administered to the patient.
Overall, active substances that the body itself has produced against the disease are strengthened in their effectiveness by means of genetic analysis and biotechnological processes.
Instead of large pharmaceutical factories, this requires exactly the opposite: decentralized production with table-top devices and largely with single-use equipment and the use of gloveless isolators. In this context, sterile packaging for transporting the medication to the patient will also become a critical factor.
Handling large volumes of data, as required for personalized medicine, may play into the hands of the well-known US technology giants. On the other hand, decentralized production offers additional opportunities for small companies in particular. These can be explored at Ilmac Basel 2025, the pioneering industry event in chemistry and life sciences. Among other things, visitors will find PCR tests including rapid evaluation, suitable isolators, sterility testing methods, sterile packaging, single-use equipment and much more to strengthen personalized medicine in their company or install it as a completely new pillar. The complete list of exhibiting companies at Ilmac 2025 can be found on Ilmac 365, the Ilmac community network: https://365.ilmac.ch/event/ilmac-basel-2025
