Merck opens largest center in Zhangjiang

Leading science and technology company Merck has opened its largest life science technology and training collaboration center in Shanghai.

The M Lab Collaboration Center covers about 10,000 square meters in the city’s life science innovation highland of Zhangjiang. It is Merck’s first in China and ninth worldwide.

The Shanghai center boasts 13 labs and facilities that cover the entire pharmaceutical value chain from drug discovery and development to manufacturing.

It allows pharmaceutical manufacturers to explore ideas, learn innovative techniques and work side-by-side with the company’s scientists and engineers to solve critical development and production challenges.

The protein research lab, the bio-monitoring lab and the actives and formulation application services lab are new in China. The bio-monitoring lab conducts tests on pathogens and microbes to ensure food and drinks are free from poisonous bacteria.

The new BioReliance End-to-End Solutions GMP manufacturing facility, the company’s first in China, will provide full scale CDMO services. It helps to accelerate biologics process development and GMP clinical manufacturing.

The Shanghai center has also adopted an intelligent management system that assists researchers in the labs to manage products and chemicals as well as provides analytics throughout the research development process.

“With the booming pharmaceutical industry in Asia and greater emphasis on novel drug therapies, we see an increase in R&D in leading-edge treatments including cell and gene therapies in China,” said Udit Batra, a member of the Merck executive board and CEO of its Life Science business sector.

“Our center offers customizable solutions and services that help bio pharmaceutical and biologics companies improve their processes from drug discovery, development to manufacturing — saving costs and increasing speed to market.”

The Shanghai center, especially designed for China, offers customizable solutions tailored for China’s Life Science community to help advance drug development.

“Shanghai is the epitome for innovation and life science development as local and foreign bio-tech and pharmaceutical companies have established their footing in Shanghai. It makes sense for us to be close to our customers and that’s why Shanghai remains the core of our center for innovation and development,” said Steve Vermant, managing director of Merck Life Science China.

“It will not only serve as a hub for the cultivation of industry talent but also accelerate the integration of China’s life science value chain as well as promote cross boarder interaction and collaboration. It will play a significant role in accelerating the development of China’s bio-pharmaceutical industry,” said Chen Deming, chairman of the China Association of Enterprises with Foreign Investment.