Biotech Drug Factory
Last year, Genentech, a global leader in the manufacture of genetically engineered drugs, had sales of about $5.5 billion. A “biotech drug” is one that uses a protein to treat a particular disorder: to make its protein-based drugs, which include cancer treatments and a human growth hormone, Genentech must grow vast quantities of therapeutic proteins in host cells and then harvest them.
The company can ferment approximately 280,000 liters of cell culture at any one time at its various manufacturing plants.
This photo essay illustrates the production process at Genentech’s South San Francisco plant, from the testing and fine-tuning of manufacturing techniques, to the fermentation of cells, to the purification of drugs that will be shipped around the world.
[Click here for the images.]
Keep Reading
Most Popular
This startup wants to copy you into an embryo for organ harvesting
With plans to create realistic synthetic embryos, grown in jars, Renewal Bio is on a journey to the horizon of science and ethics.
VR is as good as psychedelics at helping people reach transcendence
On key metrics, a VR experience elicited a response indistinguishable from subjects who took medium doses of LSD or magic mushrooms.
This nanoparticle could be the key to a universal covid vaccine
Ending the covid pandemic might well require a vaccine that protects against any new strains. Researchers may have found a strategy that will work.
This artist is dominating AI-generated art. And he’s not happy about it.
Greg Rutkowski is a more popular prompt than Picasso.
Stay connected
Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review
Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.