PPD, Inc., a global CRO, opened new multipurpose lab in Suzhou, China, to support Western and China-based pharma and biopharma companies managing China research studies. The 67,000-sq.-ft. facility in the Jiangsu Province offers bioanalytical, biomarker and vaccine lab services to support trials across all phases. The company anticipates adding approximately 300 skilled professionals over the next three years. This new lab supplements the company’s existing Shanghai central lab, established in 2015.
 
In Suzhou, the bioanalytical lab includes services for small molecules, biologics, and cell and gene therapies. The lab encompasses multiple technology platforms across a wide range of applications, including ligand-binding immunochemistry, liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and flow cytometry. The lab also specializes in the development and validation of fully compliant robust custom assays for pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) analyses and immunogenicity assessments in both preclinical and clinical studies.
 
The biomarker lab offers services across multiple regulatory compliance environments and fit-for-purpose applications. Analysis will be performed with molecular testing, flow cytometry, ligand binding and LC-MS/MS to support both preclinical and clinical studies. PPD’s alliance with NeoGenomics Laboratories offers an extensive oncology-focused test menu.
 
The vaccine sciences lab provides a full range of testing services specifically designed for vaccine development trials. The lab employs immunoassays, cell-based assays and multiplexed functional assays for vaccine efficacy and molecular assays for infectious disease monitoring.
 
PPD also maintains central labs in Shanghai and Singapore that provide support for global clinical trials with safety and efficacy testing, custom specimen collection kits and sample management services.
 
PPD plans to add central lab services in Suzhou in 2022 to augment the current capabilities in Shanghai and Singapore.