On November 21st, Merck announced that the second phase of its China Biosafety Testing and Experimental Center project was completed and officially opened in Shanghai, adding an additional 1500 square meters to the first phase. The project started construction in 2022 with a total investment of 29 million euros, strengthening Merck's BioReliance& Reg; The biosafety testing service capability has further met the needs of local biosafety testing.
The reporter noticed that the testing and experimental center is Merck's first biosafety testing and experimental facility in the Chinese market, which can help customers obtain diversified biosafety testing services locally, from preclinical development to commercial launch, including cell bank testing and batch release testing.
The opening of the second phase of the laboratory further deepens the partnership between the company and Chinese customers. The company's biosafety testing and experimental center located in Shanghai can now provide localized testing services with over 75 years of international experience to the Chinese market, "said Dirk Lange, global head of life sciences services for Merck's life sciences business
It is understood that the first phase of the Merck China Biosafety Testing and Experimental Center's project is to provide virus clearance verification services, which is one of the most critical steps in drug development. The second phase of the project has added cell bank testing and batch release testing services to help biopharmaceutical customers ensure the safety, purity, and identification of their cell banks. The testing and experimental center also provides batch release testing services that meet GMP requirements for harvested and raw fluids, in order to meet the requirements for pre clinical and clinical research biological products as well as approved biological products.
Caine Leong, Asia Pacific Business Director of Merck Life Sciences Biomedical Testing Services, stated that since the official opening of the virus clearance laboratory last year, the company has provided high-level testing services and a global regulatory network for Chinese customers. The virus clearance laboratory enables local customers to meet specific national and even global regulatory standards and ensure the virus safety of their products. With the launch of the second phase project, the Merck team will continue to deepen cooperation with customers.
It is worth mentioning that with the completion of the second phase of the center construction, Merck can provide extensive biosafety testing services for monoclonal antibodies, other recombinant proteins, and cell and gene therapies in China. The Shanghai Testing and Experimental Center will become an important member of Merck's global biosafety testing and experimental service network. Other experimental centers providing this service are located in Singapore, Sterling and Glasgow in the UK, and Rockville, Maryland in the United States, each sharing the same global expertise, standards, and operational systems.