SGS Life Science Services to open new French laboratory

Published: 17-Jun-2015

New QC lab upgrades the company's quality control service offering and broaden its capabilities for biologics


Analytical and bioanalytical contract solutions provider SGS Life Science Services, is to open its new bio/pharmaceutical quality control laboratory at Villeneuve La Garenne, a Paris suburb, replacing an existing facility in Clichy.

The new multimillion Euro laboratory, due to open on 29 June 2015, will incorporate best-in-class infrastructure and equipment and will operate under Good Manufacturing Practice.

The 2,100m2 facility, strategically located near the main logistics hubs, has been designed and built specifically for the needs of the pharmaceutical industry, targeting the reduction of sample processing times through increased operational efficiency.

All services currently available in Clichy will be transferred to Villeneuve La Garenne, with a special emphasis on safety equipment (fume hoods) to effectively treat organic products and classified carcinogenic, mutagenic, reprotoxic (CMR) substances. At the new site, SGS will introduce services to address the growing biopharmaceutical pipeline with capabilities for mycoplasma tests and amino acid analysis.

The contamination of cell cultures by mycoplasma is a major risk for the biopharmaceutical industry. By their diversity, their small size and lack of bacterial wall, these micro-organisms are not detectable visually, are very difficult to remove and can compromise the quality of biologic medicines. SGS has therefore created a new mycoplasma detection department.

'By recruiting an expert project manager, Ms Aude Sanchez, Engineer in Biotechnologies (ENSTBB), and in close collaboration with Thermo Fisher Scientific, a global leading supplier in this field, SGS has the means to provide innovative solutions, performance, and reliability to its customers,' said Paul Beyou, Laboratory Director for Life Science Services Villeneuve La Garenne.

'In addition to fluorescence detection methods and automated DNA extraction combined with qPCR, SGS can detect more than 90 species of mycoplasmas and achieve results in 48-72 hours.'

The creation of this new laboratory complements the bioanalytical capabilities of SGS's other French laboratory based in Poitiers.

Relevant companies

You may also like