Bioprocess seminars to feature new training course, keynote session

ASME will introduce a new three-day training course titled "Aseptic Fill and Finish for Biopharmaceuticals," in conjunction with its 19th Annual Bioprocess Technology Seminars to be held Oct. 23–27, in Montreal.

The conference, to be held at the Hyatt Regency Montreal, will also include tabletop exhibits showcasing the latest in bioprocess technology, products, and services. Companies to be represented among the nearly 40 exhibitors will include Amgen Inc., Asepco Corp., Associated Bioengineers and Engineering Consultants (ABEC), Burkert Fluid Control Systems, Fluid Line, GE Healthcare, Millipore Corp., Optek Inc., Roplan AB, and Sharpe Mixers.

Bill Bees

The new seminar "Aseptic Fill and Finish for Biopharmaceuticals" will include a step-by-step overview of aseptic fill-finish requirements, basic theory, process development activities, and related facility and regulatory compliance requirements. Key unit operations, such as sterilization, filling, and lyophilization (freeze drying), will also be discussed.

The training will be led by experts from industry and academia. It will offer case studies and best practices detailing proven strategies designed to optimize aseptic and manufacturing processes.

Course instructors include Steve Chew, manager of Microbiology-Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS) at Baxter Bioscience; Wei Huang, director of process engineering at Fluor Corp.; Michael Pikal, a professor at the University of Connecticut; Douglas Stockdale, president of Stockdale Associated Inc.; and Paula Trost, an inspector at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Bill Bees, senior vice president of operations at Cangene Corp, will give the event's keynote address. Bees is responsible for operations management at Cangene manufacturing facilities, which include biotechnology fermentation purification, antibody fractionation facilities, fill finish facilities, and plasma collection operations.

Bees is widely recognized and respected throughout industry and government circles as an expert in blood and plasma safety, manufacturing, and risk management. He has been with Cangene for more than 25 years. He held management positions in quality control, quality assurance, and product development prior to operational management.

As vice president of operations for the past 10 years, Bees has provided operational leadership in the construction, validation, scale-up, and licensing of Cangene's hyperimmune plasma fractionation facility and the expansion of bacterial fermentation, mammalian fermentation, and packaging/warehousing facilities.

In his presentation, Bees will talk about the new purification facility his company has built in Winnipeg, and how the company approached the design of the new facility to maximize flexibility.

In addition to the new aseptic fill and finish session, the bioprocess technology seminars will comprise 10 other concurrent technical courses on a variety of bioprocess topics. They include bioreactor process technology, bioprocess equipment design, bioprocess technology implementation, bioprocess purification process development, and bioreactor and fermentation design.

Registration for ASME members is $1,695 for a three-day course or $2,105 for a four-day course. Nonmember registration costs $1,850 for a three-day course or $2,260 for a four-day course.

Registration includes course notes provided in print and electronic format, daily meals, a welcome reception, and admission to a plant tour of Canada's Biotechnology Research Institute process plant. Advance sign-up for the plant tour is required and is on a first-come, first-served basis. Nonmembers will receive a complimentary year of ASME membership when they register.

For more information on course schedules and in-depth course descriptions, please visit www.asmeconferences.org/bioprocess06.



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