Risk Ranking for Product Quality Attributes

Since its inception, QbDVision has integrated risk assessment functionality into its core. Risk related relationships help build the connective in our knowledge graph.

At the product level, requirements are classified as final quality and performance attributes and the risk assessment focus has been on allowing users to assign composite impact (severity) and uncertainty (likelihood) scores to determine a composite criticality value for each quality attribute. This is akin to a preliminary hazard analysis (PHA) as defined by ICH Q9.

The introduction of risk ranking coupled with the ability to define General Attributes expands the product risk assessment capability of QbDVision dramatically, especially for biologics product development.

What’s changing

The QTPP functionality also allows for a more granular risk assessment of Final Quality Attributes (FQA). This allows you to conduct a risk assessment relative to specific safety and efficacy elements of the drug product or drug substance per ICH Q8 and ICH Q9 guidelines, for example. The risk ranking system is built around our General Attribute structure.

Why is this happening

The new risk ranking functionality within QbDVision simplifies the application of this risk assessment methodology.

In the world of biologics product development, for example, it is often desired to risk rank an FQA against multiple safety and efficacy criteria such as bioavailability, PK/PD, and immunogenicity and then assign the maximum of these as the risk level for the CQA.

This approach is discussed in detail in the A-mAb Case Study and an example is given below for the assessment of Aggregation in the upstream project of the case study.

In this example, Tool 1 is the Risk Ranking approach now available in QbDVision, and Tool 2 is the PHA approach that has been the standard in QbDVision since the beginning.

How do I use it?

Step 1: Adjust your level-based definitions for Impact within your defined risk management plan (RMP)

Step 2: Set your project to use Risk Ranking instead of PHA

Step 3: Add the specific risk assessment criteria (e.g. Safety, Efficacy, PK/PD, Immunogenicity) to the project QTPP as General Attributes

Step 4: Start linking the Quality Attributes to the General Attributes

Step 5: Get your automated reports to summarize the results

Availability

Risk ranking support is available today in our standard and sandbox environments. Our validated product customers will see it in the Electronica release, expected in February of 2021.

Laurent Lefebvre - Headshot

Laurent Lefebvre

RA CMC Director, Novartis

Laurent is the Director of RA GDD CMC at Novartis. With over 10 years of experience working as a worldwide Regulatory CMC Project Lead on blockbuster brands, he is an expert in the entire CMC product lifecycle in global regulatory environments. Laurent has been a core team member of the Novartis Regulatory Strategy and Intelligence for IDMP since 2014 and a member of the EFPIA ICH M4Q support team. He is involved in regular collaborations cross-industry (IDMP roundtables, Pistoia Alliance), digital initiatives (RIM structured authoring, master data & PLM), reviewer of the ISO IDMP guidelines and a Novartis contributor to regulatory intelligence discussions.
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James Maxwell

Life Sciences Innovation Lead, Accenture

James Maxwell is an Innovation Lead at Accentures Global Centre for R&D and Innovation. He leads strategic innovation programs with global Life Sciences organizations to solve challenges, rapidly prototype and prove value for future solutions across the end-to-end Life Sciences value chain. With a background in design, research and innovation strategy he has worked with multiple organizations to take an innovation approach for solving challenges across CMC.
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Paul Denny-Gouldson

CSO, Zifo

Paul is the CSO at Zifo RnD Solutions, a global specialist scientific and process informatics service provider working across research, development, manufacturing and clinical domains. He obtained his Ph.D. in Computational Biology from Essex University in 1996 and started his career as a Post Doc, and subsequently Senior Scientist at Sanofi-Synthelabo Toulouse (now Sanofi) for five years, where he managed a multidisciplinary molecular and cell biology department. He has also founded a number of companies focused on combining science, technology and business, and authored more than 25 scientific papers and book chapters.
Chris McCurdy

Chris McCurdy

Chief Architect of Healthcare and Life Sciences at Amazon Web Services

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Isabell Hagemann

Scientific Assistant, Biological Development, Downstream, Bayer AG

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Ganga Kalidindi

Global Head TRD Data Assets & Insights, Novartis

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Fran Leira Headshot - Digital CMC Basecamp - QbDVision

Fran Leira

Global Head of Process Engineering CoE, CSL Behring

Fran Leira is a biopharma Professional with over 20 years of experience in QC, MSAT/Tech Ops at companies like Genentech, GSK, Merck, and Lonza where he supported Product and Process Lifecycle Management at site-based and global roles. He is currently the Global Head of Process Engineering CoE at CSL Behring.

Florian Aupert Headshot - Digital CMC Basecamp - QbDVision

Florian Aupert

Lab Head, Biological Development, Bayer AG

Florian has a B. Sc. and M. Sc. in pharmaceutical biotechnology with a focus on bioprocess engineering. Since 2018, he’s worked at Bayer AG in Biological Development, concentrating on portfolio program management and tech transfer.

Devendra Deshmukh

Global Head, Digital Science Business Operations, Thermo Fisher Scientific

Devendra Deshmukh currently leads Global Business Operations for Digital Science Solutions at Thermo Fisher Scientific. In this role he oversees operations broadly for the business across its product portfolio and leads the global professional services, technical support, and product education teams.

Mark Fish

Managing Director, Scientific Informatics, Accenture

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Chris Puzzo

Solution Architect, Digital & Data, Zaether

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Victor Goetz, Ph.D

Executive Director, TS/MS New Modalities and Data Strategy, Eli Lilly and Company

Victor Goetz, Ph.D. is the Executive Director of Technical Services New Modalities and Data Strategy at Eli Lilly and Company. He has over 35 years of industry experience in developing and commercializing nine novel medicines to enhance the exchange of knowledge needed to speed the delivery of new medicines to patients. Dr. Goetz holds a BS in chemical engineering from Stanford University and a PhD in chemical and biochemical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania.

Rachelle Howard

Director of Manufacturing Systems Automation and Digital Strategy, Vertex Pharmaceuticals

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Vijay Raju

Vice President, CMC Management, Flagship Pioneering

Vijay currently leads CMC activities to deliver on Pioneering Medicines portfolio. The portfolio is built on Flagship Pioneering’s bio-platforms covering multiple modalities (small molecules, biologics, cell & gene therapies). Vijay was previously in technical leadership roles at Novartis.

Greg Troiano

Head of cGMP Strategic Supply & Operations, mRNA Center of Excellence, Sanofi

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Pat Sacco

Senior Vice President Manufacturing, Quality, and Operations, SalioGen

Pat is a Biotechnology technical operations executive with 30+ years of experience leading and managing technical operations functions at numerous innovative companies in the biotech and life sciences industries. He has a passion for advancing and implementing best practices in pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Diana Bowley

Associate Director, Data & Digital Strategy, AbbVie

Diana is the Associate Director, Data & Digital Strategy in S&T-Biologics Development and Launch leading the organization’s Digital Transformation since October 2021. She joined AbbVie in 2012 in the R&D-Discovery Biologics group focused on antibody and multi-specific protein screening and engineering, leading multiple programs to the cell line development stage. In 2017 she joined Information Research and led a team of IT professionals who supported AbbVie’s Discovery Scientists in Biotherapeutics, Chemistry, Immunology and Neuroscience. She has a PhD in Molecular Biology from The Scripps Research Institute and Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from The University of Northern Iowa.

Robert Dimitri, M.S., M.B.A.

Director Digital Quality Systems, Thermo Fisher Scientific

Robert Dimitri is a Director of Digital Quality Systems in Thermofisher’s Pharma Services Group. Previously he was a Digital Transformation and Innovation Lead in Takeda’s Business Excellence for the Biologics Operating Unit while leading Digital and Data Sciences groups in Manufacturing Sciences at Takeda’s Massachusetts Biologics Site.

Devendra Deshmukh

Global Head, Digital Science Business Operations, Thermo Fisher Scientific

Devendra Deshmukh currently leads Global Business Operations for Digital Science Solutions at Thermo Fisher Scientific. In this role he oversees operations broadly for the business across its product portfolio and leads the global professional services, technical support, and product education teams.

Grant Henderson

Sr. Dir. Manufacturing Science and Technology, VernalBio

Grant Henderson is the Senior Director of Manufacturing Science and Technology at Vernal Biosciences. He has years of expertise in pharmaceutical manufacturing process development/characterization, advanced design of experiments, and principles of operational excellence.

Ryan Nielsen

Life Sciences Global Sales Director, Rockwell Automation

Ryan Nielsen is the Life Sciences Global Sales Director at Rockwell Automation. He has over 17 years of industry experience and a passion for collaboration in solving complex problems and adding value to the life sciences space.

Shameek Ray

Head of Quality Manufacturing Informatics, Zifo

Shameek Ray is the Head of Quality Manufacturing Informatics and Zifo and has extensive experience in implementing laboratory informatics and automation for life sciences, forensics, consumer goods, chemicals, food and beverage, and crop science industries. With his background in services, consulting, and product management, he has helped numerous labs embark on their digital transformation journey.

Max Peterson​

Lab Data Automation Practice Manager, Zifo

Max Petersen is the Lab Data Automation Practice Manager at Zifo responsible for developing strategy for their Lab Data Automation Solution (LDAS) offerings. He has over 20 years of experience in informatics and simulation technologies in life sciences, chemicals, and materials applications.

Michael Stapleton

Board Director, QbDVision

Michael Stapleton is a life sciences leader with success spanning leadership roles in software, consumables, instruments, services, consulting, and pharmaceuticals. He is a constant innovator, optimist, influencer, and digital thought leader identifying the next strategic challenge in life sciences, executing and operationalizing on high impact strategic plans to drive growth.

Matthew Schulze

Head of Digital Pioneering Medicines & Regulatory Systems, Flagship Pioneering

Matt Schulze is a Senior Director in the Flagship Digital, IT, and Informatics team, where he leads and manages the digital evolution for Pioneering Medicines. His role is pivotal in ensuring that digital strategies align with the overall goals and objectives of the Flagship Pioneering initiative.

His robust background in digital life sciences includes expertise in applications, informatics, data management, and IT/OT management. He previously spearheaded Digital Biomanufacturing Applications at Resilience, a CDMO start-up backed by Arch, where he established a team responsible for implementing global manufacturing automation systems, Quality Assurance applications, laboratory systems, and data management applications.

Matt holds a B.S. in Biology and Biotechnology from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and an M.B.A. from the Boston University Questrom School of Business, where he focused on Strategy and Innovation.

Daniel R. Matlis

Founder and President, Axendia

Daniel R. Matlis is the Founder and President of Axendia, an analyst firm providing trusted advice to life science executives on business, technology, and regulatory issues. He has three decades of industry experience spanning all life science and is an active contributor to FDA’s Case for Quality Initiative. Dan is also a member of the FDA’s advisory council on modeling, simulation, and in-silico clinical trials and co-chaired the Product Quality Outcomes Analytics initiative with agency officials.

Kir Henrici

CEO, The Henrici Group

Kir is a life science consultant working domestically and internationally for over 12 years in support of quality and compliance for pharma and biotech. Her deep belief in adopting digital technology and data analytics as the foundation for business excellence and life science innovation has made her a key member of PDA and ISPE – she currently serves on the PDA Regulatory Affairs/Quality Advisory Board

Oliver Hesse

VP & Head of Biotech Data Science & Digitalization, Bayer Pharmaceuticals

Oliver Hesse is the current VP & Head of Biotech Data Science & Digitalization for Bayer, based in Berkeley, California. He has a degree in Biotechnology from TU Berlin and started his career in a Biotech start-up in Germany before joining Bayer in 2008 to work on automation, digitalization, and the application of data science in the biopharmaceutical industry.

John Maguire

Director of Manufacturing Sciences, Sanofi mRNA Center of Excellence

With over 18 years of process engineering experience, John is an expert in the application of process engineering and operational technology in support of the production of life science therapeutics. His work includes plant capability analysis, functional specification development, and the start-up of drug substance manufacturing facilities in Ireland and the United States.

Chris Kopinski

Business Development Executive, Life Sciences and Healthcare at AWS

As a Business Development Executive at Amazon Web Services, Chris leads teams focused on tackling customer problems through digital transformation. This experience includes leading business process intelligence and data science programs within the global technology organizations and improving outcomes through data-driven development practices.

Tim Adkins

Digital Life Science Operations, ZÆTHER

Tim Adkins is a Director of Digital Life Sciences Operations at ZÆTHER, serving the life science industry by assisting companies reach their desired business outcomes through digital IT/OT solutions. He has 30 years of industry experience as an IT/OT leader in global operational improvements and support, manufacturing system design, and implementation programs.

Blake Hotz

Manufacturing Sciences Data Manager, Sanofi

At Sanofi’s mRNA Center of Excellence, Blake Hotz focuses on developing data ingestion and cleaning workflows using digital tools. He has over 5 years of experience in biotech and holds degrees in Chemical Engineering (B.S.) and Biomedical Engineering (M.S.) from Tufts University.

Anthony DeBiase

Offering Manager, Rockwell Automation

Anthony has over 14 years of experience in the life science industry focusing on process development, operational technology (OT) implementation, technology transfer, CMC and cGMP manufacturing in biologics, cell therapies, and regenerative medicine.

Andy Zheng

Data Solution Architect, ZÆTHER

Andy Zheng is a Data Solution Architect at ZÆTHER who strives to grow and develop cutting-edge solutions in industrial automation and life science. His years of experience within the software automation field focused on bringing innovative solutions to customers which improve process efficiency.

Sue Plant

Phorum Director, Regulatory CMC, Biophorum

Sue Plant is the Phorum Director of Regulatory CMC at BioPhorum, a leading network of biopharmaceutical organizations that aims to connect, collaborate, and accelerate innovation. With over 20 years of experience in life sciences, regulatory, and technology, she focuses on improving access to medicines through innovation in the regulatory ecosystem.

Yash Sabharwal​

President & CEO, QbDVision

Yash Sabharwal is an accomplished inventor, entrepreneur, and executive specializing in the funding and growth of early-stage technology companies focused on life science applications. He has started 3 companies and successfully exited his last two, bringing a wealth of strategic and tactical experience to the team.

Joschka Buyel

Director of Product Management, QbDVision

Joschka Buyel is the Director of Product Management at QbDVision. He was previously responsible for the rollout and integration of QbDVision at Bayer and worked on various late-stage projects as a Quality-by-Design Expert for Product & Process Characterization, Process Validation, and Transfers. Joschka has a Ph.D. in Drug Sciences from Bonn University and a M.S. and B.S. in Molecular and Applied Biotechnology from the RWTH University.

Luke Guerrero

COO, QbDVision

A veteran technologist and company leader with a global CV, Luke currently oversees the core business operations across QbDVision and its teams. Before joining QbDVision, he developed, grew, and led key practices for international agency Brand Networks, and spent six years deploying technology and business strategies for PricewaterhouseCoopers’ CIO Advisory consulting unit.

Gloria Gadea Lopez

Head of Global Consultancy, Business Platforms | Ph.D., Biosystems Engineering

Gloria Gadea-Lopez is the Head of Global Consultancy at Business Platforms. Using her prior extensive experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, she supports companies in developing strategies and delivering digital systems for successful operations. She holds degrees in Chemical Engineering, Food Science (M.S.), and Biosystems Engineering (Ph.D.)

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