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Process Characterization

Take Control of Your Commercial Process

Accelerate BLA readiness with WuXi Biologics’ process characterization service for drug substance production. Our data-driven framework streamlines process performance qualification (PPQ) and aligns with global regulatory expectations.

Built for Phase II and III programs, the service applies Quality by Design (QbD) principles to:

  • Define and classify process parameters
  • Assess variability
  • Implement control strategies compatible with any manufacturing site or quality system

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A Proven Approach Grounded in Science

Process characterization defines and validates the range of conditions under which your manufacturing process performs. Our approach identifies set points, normal operating ranges (NOR), proven acceptable ranges (PAR), and broader characterization limits to maximize process capability.

WuXi Biologics takes a risk-based approach to characterize and controls these parameters. Starting with presumptive critical quality attributes (CQAs), we consult failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) to prioritize risks. Then, we implement Design of Experiments (DoE) and one-factor-at-a-time (OFAT) methods in scale-down models to interrogate each unit operation for each CQA. As data accumulate, we refine CQAs and confirm the risks associated with the manufacturing process. A final FMEA and control strategy solidifies process knowledge, setting up PPQ and BLA success.

Systematically mapping the set point, NOR, PAR, and characterization range brings control and consistency

Statistical Modeling That Eliminates Rework

Poor design can lead to inconclusive data and costly delays. WuXi Biologics mitigates this risk by implementing statistical modeling from the outset. Using tools such as variance analysis, ANOVA, model fitting, and Monte Carlo simulations, we optimize study design, uncover meaningful trends, and define reliable operating ranges. This rigor translates into high-confidence data that supports faster, smarter regulatory decisions without rework.

Stepwise Strategy for Successful Process Characterization

Advancing to BLA with Speed and Precision

Scalable capacity, scientific precision, and flawless execution are key to faster BLA advancement. WuXi Biologics draws on extensive facilities and expert teams to run multiple studies in parallel—reducing bottlenecks—and shorten process characterization timelines. We eliminate months from the industry-standard path to market-readiness.

Activities

Industry Standard

WuXi Biologics

Accelerated process characterization

4 months

Process characterization

12 months

6–8 months

Late-stage to BLA

24–36 months

18 months

Side-by-side timeline comparison

Built for Speed and Scale

WuXi Biologics delivers unmatched speed and scalability through purpose-built infrastructure and expert teams:

, single-use technology, and Ambr high-throughput systems accelerate modeling and variability testing.

allow parallel purification development with automated control, eliminating downstream delays.

enable high-throughput impurity and CQA profiling.

ensure rapid, sensitive analysis of charge variants and purity.

(80% with advanced degrees) adapt programs in real-time to meet evolving technical and regulatory needs.

Proven Results

60+ process characterization projects

completed, including 8+ standalone projects

50+ market authorizations

from FDA, EMA, NMPA, TGA, HC, and MHRA

100% success for 100+ PPQs

across fed batch and perfusion culture modes

Case Study: BLA Approval in 14 Months

Scalable capacity, scientific precision, and flawless execution are key to faster BLA advancement. WuXi Biologics draws on extensive facilities and expert teams to run multiple studies in parallel—reducing bottlenecks—and shorten process characterization timelines. We eliminate months from the industry-standard path to market-readiness.

This real-world success demonstrates our ability to:

  • Scale seamlessly from early development to licensure
  • Conduct PPQ in parallel with clinical trials
  • Deliver regulatory-grade data at commercial-scale

Comprehensive Deliverables for Late-Stage Success

We design all deliverables to meet global regulatory expectations and provide traceable, submission-ready documentation that supports licensure.

  • Process characterization master plan
  • CQA list
  • Risk assessment reports
  • Model qualification reports
  • Method qualification reports
  • Process characterization protocols of unit operations
  • Process characterization reports of unit operations
  • Process characterization summary reports
  • Process and analytical control strategy
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BLA-Enabling Studies

Our BLA-enabling studies provide the critical product and process understanding that successful regulatory submission requires. The studies include resin and membrane reuse, viral clearance, impurity control, and comparability assessments.

Conducted at lab scale for cost-efficiency and speed, our resin and membrane lifetime studies establish safe reuse limits and generate used resins for BLA-enabling viral clearance. A structured 5-step workflow ensures consistency, quality, and regulatory readiness.

Highlights:

  • Custom scale-down model design
  • Cycle-stop criteria by unit operation
  • Full in-process analytics and logistics
  • Data insights across more than 50 resin and membrane types

WuXi Biologics delivers robust viral clearance studies to meet global regulatory expectations. Our BLA packages include viral inactivation, chromatography with mass balance, new and aged resin performance, and carryover assessments.

WuXi Biologics’ in-depth product characterization defines a drug product’s structure, function, and variability. This characterization supports safety, efficacy, and regulatory acceptance, enabling watertight process characterization.

Our comparability studies confirm product consistency before and after manufacturing changes through a structured, stepwise workflow that maintains quality, safety, and efficacy.

Highlights:

  • Completed over 40 BLA-enabling programs
  • Profiled variants in less than 2 months
  • Completed forced degradation in less than 3 months
  • Fractionalized size and charge variants at milligram scale
  • Leveraged high-resolution structural tools and biofunctional analysis

Our comparability studies combine in-depth product characterization with a structured, pre- to post-change workflow, ensuring consistent quality safety and efficacy after manufacturing changes.

WuXi Biologics conducts process-related impurity assessments aligned with ICH Q6B to ensure product quality and patient safety. Our highly specific, highly sensitive analytical methods establish impurity limits, support regulatory compliance, and safeguard product performance.

Highlights:

  • Address impurities from both cell culture and downstream purification
  • Apply advanced analytical methods for precise impurity qualification and quantification
  • Support acceptance criteria to meet global regulatory standards

Leveraging onsite laboratories, an exclusive HCP database, and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, WuXi Biologics delivers HCP detection services. These integrated capabilities support regulatory filings and product safety, and include:

  • ELISA kit development
  • Coverage assessment
  • Mass spectrometry profiling
  • Method development
  • Risk assessment

Related Offerings

[Webinar] Mastering BLA readiness: Advanced Process Characterization for Robust and Accelerated Process Validation and Biologics Commercialization

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[Webinar] The Innovation Edge: Transforming Technologies for Commercial Manufacturing of Biologics

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[Service Overview] Late Stage CMC Development Service Overview

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Gain a Strategic Advantage

With WuXi Biologics, process characterization is more than a regulatory requirement—it is your strategic advantage. From analytical rigor and parallel studies to global regulatory alignment, we advance your biologic from late-stage development to commercial readiness with speed, clarity, and confidence. Get More Out of Process Characterization
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