Singapore: Biopharmaceutical company Nanotherapeutics has selected GE Healthcare Life Sciences' FlexFactory biomanufacturing platform to perform a central role in its Advanced Development and Manufacturing (NANO-ADM) Center at Alachua, Florida, US. Construction of the NANO-ADM Center, which began in October 2013, is expected to be complete in early 2015.

The NANO-ADM Center will fulfill a US Department of Defense contract awarded to Nanotherapeutics in April 2013 to enable faster and more effective development of biomedical countermeasures designed to protect and treat US military personnel against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear attacks, in addition to protecting against outbreaks of naturally occurring, emerging and genetically engineered infectious diseases.

Following a competitive tender, GE Healthcare has become part of a network of 16 partners, and has been closely involved from the inception of the project, through the contract application process, and on into the construction phase.

Nanotherapeutics' adoption of GE's FlexFactory biomanufacturing platform and single-use technologies will help significantly reduce commissioning time and allow rapid reconfiguration of the facility for the manufacture of different products as and when required. GE's team of experts in biopharmaceutical manufacturing will provide full training and support in process development to the NANO-ADM Center staff, further accelerating set-up time.

Mr Nigel Darby, vice president, bioprocess and GE Officer said, "We are delighted to be playing a pivotal role in the establishment and set-up of Nanotherapeutics' Advanced Development and Manufacturing Center. The wide-ranging and forward-looking criteria of this US Department of Defense contract demands a fast and responsive solution and the flexibility of our established FlexFactory manufacturing platform and the deep sector experience of our team will both be critical components in the success of the program. Being selected by the industry experts at Nanotherapeutics is a clear indication of our reputation as a trusted partner in technologies for biopharmaceutical manufacturing and in process development."