Agilent doubles down on Carpinteria presence
Agilent Technologies, a supplier of laboratory medical equipment to the biotechnology industry, is an extremely largecompany headquartered in Santa Clara — but to the people of Santa Barbara County, the company has long had a presence in Carpinteria.
On Sept. 9, the company decided to double down on that presence announcing the opening of its Biopharma CDx Services Lab.
The new lab, located within Agilent’s 1170 Mark Ave. building, will support a wide variety of drug development, including the areas of innovative therapeutics and precision medicine, and at various stages from early clinical studies through regulatory approval.
“We’re excited that the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies can come to Agilent in Carpinteria for the companion diagnostics services they need to advance their treatment programs,” an Agilent spokesperson told the Business Times.
“Our Carpinteria location is a manufacturing, innovation, and R&D hub for our companion diagnostics, so it’s a natural place to locate this lab.
Agilent was founded in 1999 as a spin-off of several business units of Hewlett-Packard including test & measurement, optics, instrumentation and chemical analysis, electronic components, and medical equipment product lines.
The company opened its Carpinteria facility in 2012 and currently employs more than 300 people in the area.
The new lab will help will support drug development from early clinical studies through regulatory approval with efficient, flexible, and streamlined companion diagnostic development.
The BCSL will also provide access to innovative technologies for biomarker assessment with novel precision therapeutics in clinical trials, as well as high-quality assays that deliver robust data.
According to the company, the continuous development model from feasibility through FDA approval of companion diagnostics offers significant cost and time advantages to biopharma seeking to maximize the value of their investment in companion diagnostics and precision therapeutics.
“Agilent is committed to advancing the frontiers of biopharma and clinical diagnostics. The launch of the Biopharma CDx Services Lab represents a significant milestone in the company’s mission to support the development of innovative therapeutics and precision medicine,” Nina Green, vice president and general manager of Agilent’s Companion Diagnostics Division, said in a press release.
“By providing cutting-edge technologies and high-quality assays, Agilent aims to streamline the path from early clinical studies to FDA approval, accelerating the delivery of life-changing treatments to patients.”
According to the company, launching the new lab is a “key element in Agilent’s broader strategic commitment to the biopharma, clinical diagnostics, and precision medicine sectors.”
It said it would “strengthen” the company’s capabilities in early assay development, technology innovation, and prospective clinical trial patient testing,
The lab’s opening comes after Agilent received a California State clinical laboratory license and Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments certificate of compliance.
Those credentials signify that the lab operates in accordance with CLIA regulations, which are federal standards applicable to all U.S. facilities testing human specimens for health assessment, diagnosis, prevention, or treatment of diseases, according to a press release.
The CLIA certificate of compliance ensures high standards for accuracy and reliability in laboratory testing, confirms regulatory adherence, boosts market credibility, and improves operational efficiency, the press release read.
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