Like many industries, the biopharmaceutical industry must make active efforts to promote sustainable practices. Peptide manufacturing tends to produce large quantities of CO2. Vera D’Aloisio, European Sales Manager at AmbioPharm sparked a discussion on how we can approach peptide manufacturing in a holistic manner.
AmbioPharm has teamed up with CEM to facilitate microwave solid phase peptide synthesis (SPPS) for large-scale cGMP production. D’Alosio outlined the advantages of this partnership, she explained that microwave SPPS reduced energy consumption and synthesis time. Furthermore, by using microwave technology scientists can select greener solvents and scale up the technology.
Currently, the company is working towards improving solvent recycling including acetonitrile, and improving process waste recovery at their facilities in Shanghai. D’Aloisio stated: “We are at the final stages of qualifying our system where we will be able to recycle acetonitrile and in the near future, we have plans to another system to recycle also DMF and to recover process waste and water.”
D’Aloisio presented a case study on Liraglutide Manufacturing comparing traditional and simplified production models. D’Aloisio demonstrated that localized synthesis and release in Shanghai reduce CO2 emissions compared to models relying on long-distance transportation of raw materials or crude peptides.
Moreover, the sustainable benefits of minimising coupling excess were discussed: “We clearly see that the different models of course have a different impact and that the higher the coupling excess, the higher the impact on the supply chain, transportation, and the carbon footprint.”
In conclusion, D’Aloisio advocated for industry-wide adoption of green chemistry, improved supply chain strategies, and investment in process development to achieve environmental sustainability in peptide manufacturing. These efforts collectively underline AmbioPharm’s commitment to advancing sustainable practices in the field.
