UT to Implement ABV’s Rapid Microbial Monitoring in New Aseptic Processing Area
TUCSON, Ariz.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Azbil BioVigilant, Inc. (www.biovigilant.com), inventors of Instantaneous Microbial Detection™, announced today that the University of Tennessee (UT) Pharmaceutical Sciences Department will utilize Azbil BioVigilant’s IMD-A® 300-series of rapid microbial monitoring systems in their state-of-the-art aseptic filling facility.
“Our new manufacturing facility, now under construction, will provide an advanced training ground featuring cutting-edge technology such as Azbil BioVigilant’s IMD-A system capable of real-time, around-the-clock environmental monitoring.”
The University of Tennessee is a leading institution in training individuals in health sciences fields, and for the past 50 years has offered training in aseptic processing. “Our new manufacturing facility, now under construction, will provide an advanced training ground featuring cutting-edge technology such as Azbil BioVigilant’s IMD-A system capable of real-time, around-the-clock environmental monitoring,” said Professor Laura Thoma, Director of UT’s Plough Center for Sterile Drug Delivery. “This laser-based technique leverages naturally-occurring fluorescence to detect microbes, in contrast to the culturing method in widespread use developed over a century ago,” she added.
Aric Meares, CEO of Azbil BioVigilant, stated partnerships such as these signify enabling steps for the industry. “The FDA continues to encourage the adoption of new technologies that improve the sterile manufacturing process and reduce the contamination risk to medications. The pharmaceutical industry has made limited advancements in this area due, in part, to the lack of published data. Our partnership with the University of Tennessee will help to fill that information void,” he added.
The University aims to complete research on topics of wide interest to pharmaceutical drug makers such as the relevance and impact of paradigm-changing microbial detection sensitivity via intrinsic fluorescence, the impact of rapid access to information warning of a change of state within the drug-making environment, and the use of IMD-A systems as part of a larger parametric (or real-time) product release process.
Azbil BioVigilant’s IMD-A 300 and IMD-A 350 systems can detect immediately the presence of microbes in the pharmaceutical manufacturing process, and in doing so, greatly accelerate the quality assurance processes for drug batch release.
About Azbil BioVigilant
With headquarters in Tucson, Arizona, Azbil BioVigilant invented instantaneous microbial detection technology to address environmental monitoring needs in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, healthcare, and environmental applications. Azbil BioVigilant’s IMD systems detect – instantaneously and in real-time – particle count, size, and biological status. Unlike other rapid microbial methods, Azbil BioVigilant’s optically-based systems require no staining, no reagents, no waiting period, and little human intervention. The company holds 20 patents with an additional 37 applications pending. Azbil BioVigilant’s parent company is Azbil Corporation of the azbil Group, part of the TOPIX Mid400 traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. For more information, go to www.biovigilant.com.