Lonza’s MODA-EM™ Paperless Solution to be implemented at the UK’s New Vaccines Manufacturing and Innovation Centre

MODA-EM™ Paperless Solution [© Lonza, Basel]

Lonza and the Vaccines Manufacturing and Innovation Centre (VMIC), a not-for-profit organisation established to provide the UK’s first strategic vaccine development and advanced manufacturing capability, have announced a project to implement the former’s MODA-EM™ Solution to automate quality control (QC) in the new facility.

VMIC plans to implement the MODA-EM™ Solution as part of its strategy to develop a state-of-the-art manufacturing centre due to open in 2021 – fast-tracked to open a year ahead of schedule. The MODA-EM™ Solution is a comprehensive informatics platform that automates QC processes for regulated manufacturing in the life sciences industry. This fully digital QC system enables companies to reduce the time needed for validation and qualification and provides a forward-thinking paperless solution.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated multiple industry trends, including digitalisation and automation. Implementing paperless solutions can help researchers meet aggressive timelines and fit into Industry 4.0 initiatives. Lonza’s comprehensive, next-generation solution for pharmaceutical QC will allow paperless management of a wealth of microbiological data. The electronic approach reinforces data integrity compliance; enables real-time access to data; and provides fast input necessary to make informed decisions.

The automation of the QC laboratory has seen slow adoption by organisations due to cost constraints and flexibility concerns. The MODA-EM™ Data Acquisition Platform for automated and paperless QC processes is changing this, thanks to the ease of implementation to achieve regulatory compliance and maximise employee utilisation.

Dr Orla Cloak, Global Director of Testing Solutions and Informatics at Lonza, commented: “We are proud that VMIC has made the decision to adopt Lonza’s MODA-EM™ Quality Control Microbiology Platform. This project comes at a critical time when vaccine developers and manufacturers are scaling up to meet vital global health needs. We look forward to working with VMIC to enable vaccine producers with best practices and the highest levels of data integrity in paperless manufacturing and quality as they serve an important role in the future of public health.”

Birgit Hartnell, Head of Quality Control at VMIC, added: “A new facility like VMIC faces the challenge of implementing a successful contamination control strategy built on meaningful data analysis. Add to this the urgent need to be operationally ready in a very short timeframe in order to have the ability to manufacture a vaccine for COVID-19, and you need a system that can be integrated quickly and still delivers the highest standard of compliance. Lonza was able to demonstrate they could deliver this through a rigorous tendering process and I look forward to working with them.”