The route to the corona vaccine also leads through Saxony-Anhalt
IDT Biologika in Dessau-Roßlau specializes in the development and production of viral vaccines
People all over the world are researching the development of a vaccine against the new coronavirus. The company IDT Biologika in Saxony-Anhalt is also involved in this. According to the WHO, 41 vaccine developments against the coronavirus have been initiated worldwide. First tests are now pending. Researchers are working under high pressure. But the development of a vaccine is very time-consuming. Patience is required, because a vaccine must be effective - in other words, it must actually protect against the disease. And it must be safe - that means it must not cause any damage to anyone’s health, so it must be tested sufficiently.
IDT Biologika will also produce the material for the preclinical testing of a potential coronavirus vaccine. The medium-sized company located at the centre of excellence “BioPharmaPark Dessau-Roßlau” belongs to the Klocke Group and is a globally renowned partner from contract development to the commercial production of human vaccines and biopharmaceuticals. The Investment and Marketing Corporation Saxony-Anhalt, which has accompanied the company on its growth course on behalf of the state for years, spoke with IDT Managing Director Dr. Jürgen Betzing.
“It is not unusual for viruses to pass from animals to humans. It's a process that continues to accompany our evolution. However, our global life is causing a rapid spread of such infections as we are now experiencing with the new coronavirus”, says Dr. Andreas Neubert, responsible for the development division of IDT Biologika GmbH in the BioPharmaPark Dessau-Roßlau. “The demand for new innovative vaccine technologies is great worldwide," adds IDT Managing Director Dr. Jürgen Betzing. "It is difficult to prevent newly emerging highly contagious and infectious diseases such as Covid-19 from suddenly spreading to pandemics. But the diagnostics using new technologies are very good. It's possible to react much faster than before." IDT Biologika, with an additional site in Rockville, Maryland, is strategically focused on contract development and manufacturing of viral vaccines, gene and immunotherapeutics as well as biologics.
In Magdeburg, IDT operates a pilot plant for process development of human vaccine technologies. It is located in close proximity to research partners at the Otto-von-Guericke University of Magdeburg and the University Hospital Magdeburg as well as the Max Planck Institute. Managing Director Betzing speaks of the worldwide trust that the biopharmaceutical industry and scientific research institutions place in IDT's specialised interdisciplinary teams and high-quality services.
Corona vaccine for studies
According to Neubert, head of development, newly infectious diseases first need to be understood epidemiologically and immunologically. With this goal, research, preclinical and clinical studies are carried out worldwide, also with the participation of IDT Biologika. The Dessau-based company will soon produce a vector-based vaccine that will be used for clinical studies against the new coronavirus. The German Centre for Infection Research DZIF, the Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf and the Phillips University Marburg work on the basis of a recombinant "Modified Vaccinia Virus Ankara" (MVA). MVA is a carrier virus that is harmless to humans and is used in vaccinations.
As far as the development and production of active substances for the treatment of lung diseases is concerned, IDT has been a competent partner for globally operating companies for many years. For example, the company has developed its own cell line for the production of the MERS vaccine. MERS is derived from a coronavirus that is remotely related to Covid-19 that is now appearing. In addition, IDT Biologika develops and produces material for clinical studies and approval applications for the RSV vaccine on behalf of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases NIAID in the USA. The respiratory syncytial virus causes respiratory and lung diseases, particularly in children under the age of two.
New production building
IDT Biologika has gained a worldwide leading role in the biopharmaceutical industry with its almost 100 years of expertise. It has its origins in the Bacteriological Institute of the Anhalt districts (?), founded in 1921. In subsequent years, sera for the passive immunisation of humans and animals as well as vaccines for the defence against epidemics were produced in various newly founded institutes. In 1993, the Klocke Group privatised the company under the name of Impfstoffwerk Dessau-Tornau (IDT) (Vaccine plant Dessau-Tornau). Since then, 440 million euros have been invested in the site in Saxony-Anhalt. In 2019, a new multifunctional production building for viral vaccines was inaugurated in the BioPharmaPark Dessau-Roßlau after a construction period of only one year. "The investment in the double-digit million range was the right decision in view of the growing market and the requirements of our customers," says IDT Managing Director Betzing, referring not only to the expanded production capacities but above all to the flexible production conditions. Especially the current coronavirus pandemic shows how quickly one has to adapt to a given situation and the resulting market requirements.
Decrypting SARS-CoV-2
The new production building provides IDT with state-of-the-art workplaces in the research-intensive field of human virus production. "We are operating in markets that not everyone can serve and are striving for a global leadership role here," says Jürgen Betzing. "Cooperation with many partners worldwide also makes us strong and flexible." Development Manager Andreas Neubert comes back to the coronavirus in this context. He says that individual corona strains have been studied in animals for about 50 years. The resulting findings are now helping experts to decode SARS-CoV-2. According to the World Health Organization, an approved corona vaccine for widespread use will only be available in approximately 18 months. "We are well positioned for its production and filling," promises IDT Managing Director Jürgen Betzing.
Author: Kathrain Graubaum