Jan 20 2011
Atoll GmbH has developed a miniaturised chromatography platform that facilitates and accelerates complex biopharmaceutical production processes.
Process developers from research and development laboratories around the world appreciate the time and cost savings that can be achieved with Atoll’s chromatography tools as well as the technology’s ability to specifically isolate sought-after compounds. The current huge demand for this technology means that the Weingarten-based company’s 15-member team can now move onto the next stage of development by investing in new cleanrooms.
The purification of biotechnologically produced pharmaceuticals relies on chromatography, a separation technology that enables the gentle purification of sensitive protein-based pharmaceutical substances at the same time as preserving their biological function. A crucial aspect in these purification processes relates to the identification of a suitable separation material among the 500 different resins or so that are produced by around 20 companies. The separation materials are offered in completely different formats, making it difficult for users to directly compare the materials and chose the most suitable one for their specific needs.
Atoll has introduced formats that make it possible to directly compare all available resins, and precisely determine a resin’s specificity for a certain target molecule. The “Atoll format” is fast becoming the worldwide standard for chromatic separation in the global pharmaceutical industry.
The idea: making chromatography comparable
Atoll GmbH was established in the Technology Centre in Weingarten in summer 2004 with the support of Udo J. Vetter, Managing Director of UV-Cap GmbH & Co. KG . Based on his know-how in the biotech area and his close contacts with R&D partners, the company's managing director and director of sales and marketing, Dr. Jürgen Friedle's business idea was to make chromatography comparable. Manfred Strittmatter is in charge of the company's internal business processes which involves setting up and running the development and production facilities.
Platform-based patented product portfolio
The idea of developing simple columns that can be efficiently packed with any resin from any manufacturer that a company chooses led to a patented product line based on a common platform that was developed within the first two years of the company's existence.
All the individual products in the company's portfolio ranging from RoboColumn (µl scale) to MiniChrom (ml scale) to ValiChrom and MaxiChrom (large scale) fulfil the stringent requirements of biopharmaceutical companies, as well as meeting the needs of the entire biopharmaceutical production process from initial research to process development and pilot production. The company's client list includes all major global biopharmaceutical companies.
The biopharmaceutical industry makes the most of the advantages offered by Atoll’s products
It was not easy for the emerging company to be accepted by the major global players. The company had to provide consistently high quality products and its acceptance was also helped by the fact that Dr. Friedle has generated a worldwide network from his 20-plus years of work in the sector.
Atoll GmbH has a large number of international clients, including big global pharmaceutical companies as well as small- and medium-sized biotech companies. "Clients value the benefits of the company's columns - the fact that they are optimally packed with any resin from any manufacturer, they do not require on-site storage space and their high quality in terms of "column packing", which complies with or even surpasses the performance requirements of chromatography columns," said Strittmatter. "Here in Weingarten our mission is ‘convenience in bioscience': rather than packing metre-high chromatography columns, we provide companies with chromatographic tools that are specifically configured to clients' needs." The company envisages considerable growth opportunities in the field of robotic chromatography, a field in which Atoll GmbH works with big robot manufacturers to develop complete applications for users in the biotechnology industry. The company is active around the world and has sales representatives in England, the USA and Asia. Since its establishment, the company has grown and now has 15 full-time staff and is currently expanding its production capacities. A cleanroom is currently undergoing certification for the manufacture of GMP products.
Source: http://www.bio-pro.de/