by The pharmaceutical industry can be fascinating. The development and marketing of drugs and medications to treat and prevent disease is one of the greatest boons to human life. Many medications are created entirely from synthetic ingredients. Then there are biopharmaceuticals, also known as biologics. These drugs are created using organic sources. They may be extracted or semi synthesized but they originate from biologic sources. One of the major players in the field is Immunologix Laboratories in Tampa, Florida. Its lab was opened in 2012 and continues to grow.
Biologics
Cell-Based Assays has revolutionized the pharmaceutical industry. The term “biotechnology” was first used in 1919. It described using human technology to convert raw biological materials into products that were useful to society. This led to the development of antibiotics in the early 1940s. By the 50s, the discovery of the structure of DNA opened the doors to a whole new world of possibilities.
Rather than creating drugs by synthesizing chemical compounds, pharmaceutical companies are now able to use living cells, sugars, nucleic acid and proteins in various combinations in the development of medicines that are completely organic. This has been especially helpful in the creation of vaccines to help prevent many illnesses.
Early Biologics
At the start, biologics were extracted from human and animal bodies. They included:
- Human reproductive cells
- Human breast milk
- Whole blood and blood components
- Antibodies
- Stem-cells
- Organs and tissues for transplant
Recombinant DNA
Modern Biologics generally utilize recombinant DNA to create pharmaceuticals. Biosynthetic insulin was the first substance created using recombinant DNA to be approved for therapeutic use. It was first marketed in 1982. Since then, many more pharmaceuticals made this way have been approved. These include human growth hormone, blood factors, thrombolytic agents and of course, vaccines. As research continues, the future may bring treatments for conditions that are currently untreatable.
Handling of Biologics
Handling biologics in the laboratory is a complex procedure that must be carefully monitored. Biologics are sensitive and easily affected by their physical environment and method of handling. Working with biologics, such as a protein, involves the identification and replication of DNA sequences. This requires care and precision. Even the most minute changes in the sequence can cause a person’s body to reject a biologic medication as a foreign body.
Immunologix Laboratories
Founded as Biologics Development Services (BDS), the company became Immunologix Laboratories in October of 2018. Its state-of-the-art laboratories are GCP and GLP compliant and specialize in immunogenicity. Immunologix Labs’ integrated team of scientists has years of experience and can go from a new discovery through the preclinical and clinical stages all the way to marketing the finished product. Studies are supported by Biomarker, PK and Neutralizing Antibody markers.
The development of biologics was a scientific breakthrough that lead to vaccines and organically based medications for many of the illnesses that plague society. As research and new discoveries continue in this field, we may see the eradication of some of the diseases many people suffer from. Immulogix Laboratories is a major player in the biologics branch of pharmaceuticals.
