When two companies of the standing and expertise of GE Healthcare Life Sciences and Sartorius Stedim Biotech sign a patent cross-licensing agreement covering technology related to biopharmaceutical manufacturing, you cannot help but have a certain frisson of excitement.
Sartorius Stedium Biotech is, of course, a major presence in many areas of pharmaceutical research and manufacturing – particularly equipment development, quality assurance and production processes. GE Healthcare occupies a similar position of prominence in many of the medical technologies and services that are helping to define a new era of patient care.
Both companies are renowned for their close collaboration with the research and healthcare communities and the agreement covers patents that Sartorius Stedium Biotech has on exclusive license from Fluorometrix, (a spin-off company of the University of Maryland) and GE Healthcare has licensed from SciLog Inc in the USA.
The patented technology relates to bioreactors with two optical sensors (for monitoring biotechnological manufacturing processes)and automated, aseptic solution transfer for bioprocessing applications.
It is anticipated that the agreement, as well as respecting intellectual property rights, will stimulate innovative and improved product development for applications in biopharmaceutical manufacturing – for the benefit of customers and the industry in general. Definitely further exciting times ahead for both companies.