Agilent Technologies and the Bioprocessing Technology Institute Partner on Glycan Analysis Initiative

Existing analytical methods for the characterization of glycans in biopharmaceutical drugs are limiting, a problem which Agilent Technologies hopes to ameliorate through a new partnership with the Bioprocessing Technology Institute (BTI), a branch of Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR). The ultimate goal of the partnership is the establishment of standardized tests for glycan analysis in therapeutic glycoproteins. A second, related goal is to depend less on user intervention during analysis.

Current analytical methods often cannot detect minor glycan species, are time-consuming, and are difficult to scale from the lab to commercial environments, according to an Agilent press release. To ensure that biologic therapeutics are safe and effective, an improved technology platform is necessary, the company says. Agilent and BTI will work with Agilent’s existing AssayMAP Bravo platform, adding mass spectrometry capabilities to improve best practices and characterization workflows.

The alliance will help build glycomics capabilities in Singapore and will further advance process analytical technologies that are relevant to the global biomanufacturing industry, according to Professor Lam Kong Peng, executive director of BTI.