With the ever increasing production of biopharmaceuticals, development of new, more efficient and effective separation media to aid in downstream processing is needed to help manufacturers produce higher quality goods more efficiently.
The collaboration will make use of Millipore's experience of the downstream processing needs of the biopharmaceutical industry and Rohm and Haas' ion exchange resin expertise.
Financial details of the collaboration were not disclosed although Millipore will gain exclusive access to the new chromatography media developed under the agreement.
Ion exchange chromatography is used to separate molecules based on their molecular charges and is often a critical step in purifying biological drugs.
The new media developed under the agreement will strengthen Millipore's position in the biopharmaceutical supplies market, adding to its range of filtration, chromatography and disposable manufacturing offerings.
"By combining our capabilities with Rohm and Haas' expertise, we will significantly broaden the chromatography offerings we can provide to our biotech and pharmaceutical customers," said Jean-Paul Mangeolle, President of Millipore's Bioprocess Division.
"These new ion exchange offerings will build on our strong position in Protein Affinity chromatography and take us a step closer to providing complete, integrated solutions for our biopharmaceutical customers."
Millipore awarded Frost & Sullivan Technology Innovation Award Millipore's position as a leading innovator in the biopharma market has been recognised by Frost & Sullivan, which awarded the company the 2007 Frost & Sullivan Technology Innovation of the Year Award in the U.S. Drug Discovery Technologies market.
The award recognised Millipore's UCOE technology (Ubiquitous Chromatin Opening Element) products that offer significant benefits to biological medicine manufacturers by aiding in the isolation of highly productive clonal cell lines.
The system works by enabling development scientists to screen nearly 100 clones in less than four months, 12 to 15 months faster than conventional gene amplification technologies.
"Having established itself as a leader in separations methodologies, Millipore has successfully entered the growing market for protein expression products in the biopharmaceutical industry," said Dr Shankar Sellappan, Frost & Sullivan Industry Analyst.
"Millipore's innovative UCOE technology is expected to have a lasting impact on drug discovery efforts and on the development and manufacturing of therapeutic drugs."