The Industrial Science Report: Inside pharma’s workforce, process, and precision transformation

New catalysis research enhances pharmaceutical manufacturing efficiency

If a blockbuster new drug depends on expensive or risky chemistry, manufacturing scale-up becomes the weak link. Purdue’s catalysis research simplifies how complex drug molecules are made, directly improving safety and yield at scale. For maintenance teams, safer chemistries often translate into reduced corrosion, fewer unplanned shutdowns, and less exposure to high-energy operating conditions.

At Purdue University, chemist Christopher Uyeda is developing new catalytic reactions and catalysts, substances that accelerate chemical reactions, intended to make structurally complex pharmaceutical intermediates easier and safer to manufacture. His research focuses on designing catalysts that use readily available metals like cobalt and nickel to generate reactive intermediates from stable precursors. This new process reduces reliance on high-energy reagents and improves safety profiles in drug production. One of Uyeda’s reactions is already incorporated into Pfizer’s commercial manufacturing process for Paxlovid, one of the first treatment for COVID-19 initially authorized by the FDA in December 2021. Uyeda’s work also supports Purdue’s broader One Health initiative, which integrates research across human, animal, and environmental health. These advances in catalyst design and reaction development could reduce costs and enhance scalability for existing and future medicines.

University of Delaware, Penn State, and global partners tackle cost-effective monoclonal antibody manufacturing

When you catch a cold, your natural antibodies jump into action to block and neutralize the virus. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), powerful manufactured antibodies, can perform a similar feat, targeting harmful cells with precision. Therapies with mAb are widely available in the developed world for fighting infectious diseases, cancers, and autoimmune disorders. However, manufacturing complexity and costly raw materials make them cost prohibitive in low- and middle-income countries. 

At $10 per gram, monoclonal antibodies stop being luxury medicines and start becoming true global therapeutics. Membrane-based purification approaches promise smaller footprints, faster changeovers, and fewer process interruptions compared to traditional chromatography, which separates a mixture into its components.

Andrew Zydney, director of Membrane Applications Science & Technology (MAST) Center at Penn State and member of the mAbs research team, says, the overall objective of the Gates Grand Challenge is to reduce manufacturing costs of the production of mAb products, with a specific focus on anti-malarial antibodies. “Our work is focused on the development of a continuous manufacturing process that incorporates single-use bioprocessing equipment and avoids the need for expensive Protein A chromatography columns. In addition, we plan to leverage advances in process analytical technology and digital twins for automation and process control,” Zydney says.

A multidisciplinary research team led by the University of Delaware with participation from Penn State, industry partners, and National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL), has secured a three-year, $10.5 million award from the Gates Grand Challenges Program to lower the cost of monoclonal antibody (mAb) manufacturing globally. NIIMBL, a public-private partnership of more than 200 organizations, includes industry, academia, and government partners. Other key partners on the project include researchers from the Sartorius, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Enquyst Technologies, Michigan Technological University, and University College London. Penn State’s contributions focus on improving purification processes through membrane technologies to remove host cell proteins and potential contaminants more efficiently, which is critical for cost-effective production. By re-envisioning upstream cell culture and downstream purification processes, the team seeks to reduce manufacturing costs toward the challenge goal of “$10 per gram,” making mAbs more accessible worldwide. The collaboration integrates expertise in bioprocessing, economic modeling, and manufacturing to test new approaches that could serve as practical models for industrial mAb production. 

Precision magnetic microrobots for targeted therapeutic delivery in clinical settings

Many drug delivery systems are manufactured for blunt-force distribution, meaning you flood the body with medicine to get it quickly to one specific place. Instead, this research uses medicinal microrobots for targeted delivery. So far, they have tested it successfully in pigs and sheep, and the next step is human clinical trials. For manufacturers, this type of product would need ultra-clean, highly repeatable microfabrication and assembly processes. For reliability engineers working in pharmaceuticals, even minor process drift could compromise performance, which could be balanced with advanced condition monitoring, validation, and contamination control.

Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed clinically ready magnetic microrobots that can deliver drugs precisely to specific targets within the body, significantly improving localization versus systemic dosing. These microrobots incorporate a soluble gel capsule with iron oxide nanoparticles for magnetic control and tantalum for X-ray visibility. This balances the trade-offs between size, magnetic responsiveness, and imaging. A modular electromagnetic navigation system—combining rolling, gradient pulling, and in-flow strategies—accurately steering through complex vascular environments and even against blood flow. Tests using realistic vessel models and large animal studies showed more than 95 percent delivery success, supporting potential future human clinical trials.