Therapeutic proteins – the immunogenicity challenge 
This web seminar took place on Thursday 22 October 2009 

CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE REPLAY OF THE WEB SEMINAR

Click here to download the web seminar in MP4-format.

 What you can learn during this web seminar:

• Learn about common immunogenicity issues of therapeutic proteins and the impact of formulation on immunogenicity, including the use of hydrogels
• Gain insight into the benefits of hydrogel microspheres for sustained release of proteins and the technical challenges of microsphere formulation and production
• Hear about the experience in this area from speakers from Utrecht University and from OctoPlus
• Join this interactive webinar that leaves ample opportunity to discuss your experience or ask questions regarding protein immunogenicity and drug delivery strategies to solve immunogenicity issues.

Therapeutic protein products need to be as free from aggregates as possible to reduce the risk of immunogenicity. One solution is to use a controlled release formulation in which the compound is encapsulated in microspheres. The choice of microsphere matrix and the way of formulating and manufacturing determine the success of an aggregate-free drug product. The distinction between antigenicity and "tolerance breaking" will be explained as well as the relationship to the purity of the protein drug substance. These aspects will be discussed during the webinar and there will be ample opportunity to discuss your experience and ask your questions.

Speakers:

Prof. Huub Schellekens, Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Utrecht University, Netherlands.
Dr. Huub Schellekens teaches Medical Biotechnology at the Department of Innovation Studies at Utrecht University and has a research position at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences. He is a member of the Board of the European Immunogenicity Platform, member of the Dutch Medicine Evaluation Board and National Expert of the European Medicine Evaluation Agency. He published more than 300 papers in peer reviewed international journals concerning many aspects of the development of therapeutic proteins, such as immunogenicity of protein drugs and issues concerning biosimilars.

Ruud Verrijk, Ph.D., Principal Scientist, OctoPlus N.V.
Ruud Verrijk has over 20 years of experience in the design and analysis of drug delivery systems obtained in positions at the Netherlands Cancer Institute, Solvay Pharmaceuticals, and OctoPlus. He has published in peer reviewed journals on delivery systems, pharmaceutical analysis, drug formulation and pharmacology, and is inventor on many patents in this field.