WELLESLEY, MA, November 18, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Ampersand Capital Partners, a private equity firm specializing in growth equity investments in the healthcare sector, has announced an investment in Alliance Pharma (“Alliance”), a global leader in large and small molecule bioanalytical services. Headquartered in Malvern, PA., Alliance provides a full suite of discovery bioanalytical, DMPK, regulated bioanalysis, biomarker, LC-MS/MS, immunoassay, and cell and gene therapy assays. These capabilities support preclinical-through-Phase 4 studies run by a global customer base comprised of leading pharma and biotech companies.

Dave Patteson, Partner at Ampersand, stated "We are very excited to complete this investment in Alliance and partner with Founder and President Frank Li, who will remain a significant shareholder in the Company. Ampersand’s goal is to help Alliance execute an aggressive growth strategy that will expand the Company’s global reach, scientific capabilities, and operational capacity.”

Frank Li, President of Alliance, stated "We are delighted to have Ampersand invest in Alliance. Ampersand’s deep industry expertise, broad network, and capital resources will fortify Alliance Pharma’s position as a market-leading global specialty CRO."

About Alliance Pharma

Founded in 2008, Alliance is a contract research organization (CRO) that specializes in advanced bioanalytical research services for both small and large molecule drugs, as well as drug metabolism studies to support pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies’ drug discovery and development programs. Alliance Pharma provides: quantitative LC-MS/MS analysis of small molecule drugs, metabolites, biomarkers, protein, peptides and oligonucleotides, as well as immunoassay of proteins and antibody drug conjugates; immunogenicity assays (anti-drug antibody screening, confirmation, titer assessment, and Nab determination): cell-based bioassays; in vitro and in vivo drug metabolism and pharmacokinetic studies.

Alliance’s mission is to build a trusted partnership with our partners & clients to support their successful drug development programs. Alliance’s business philosophy is based on a foundation of trust, professional ethics, scientific excellence and regulatory compliance.


About Ampersand Capital Partners

Founded in 1988, Ampersand is a middle market private equity firm with more than $2 billion of assets under management dedicated to growth-oriented investments in the healthcare sector. With offices in Boston and Amsterdam, Ampersand leverages its unique blend of private equity and operating experience to build value and drive superior long-term performance alongside its portfolio company management teams. Ampersand has helped build numerous market-leading companies across each of the firm's core healthcare sectors. Additional information about Ampersand is available at ampersandcapital.com.

How has 2020 treated your company? It has been an odd year to say the least, and we are extremely grateful for the opportunities we have had in our field to work alongside and support companies, such as yours, providing medications to help people live the fullest life possible.

While we have been working with our clients on their exciting projects, we have also been working internally on growing! During the past 12 months we have expanded our footprint and capabilities within our current facility as we continue to build trusted partnerships with you – our clients! We have done this by adding the following:

Space

• 3,000 square feet of additional office space
• Three additional laboratories that cover approximately 1,600 square feet
• OHC 3 – 5 lab facility
• A BSL3 lab facility will be completed in the fourth quarter of 2020

Equipment

• Two Agilent 6495 QqQ LC-MS/MS instruments
• Two Agilent 8900 Triple Quad ICP-MS instruments
• Validated Agilent Mass Hunter software
• Two Sciex 6500+ LC-MS/MS instruments
• New Gyrolab xPlore
• Upgraded Watson LIMS to version 7.6.1
• One Agilent Bio-Inert UHPLC

Staff

We have also seen a 15% growth in our staff! We continually look for scientists, lab assistants and techs, IT specialists, software developers, business development/marketing, quality assurance, fellows, and report reviewers for example. We invite you to review our openings on our website and consider joining our role serving the pharmaceutical, biotech, and agrochemical industries, as well as academia.

We look forward to working with you in the months wrapping up 2020 as well as in 2021 with our increased space, resources and staff! Please reach out to us at 610-296-3152 or info@alliancepharmaco.com to discuss how our space, equipment and staff can best meet your drug development and drug metabolism project needs.

Any further questions or need an answer?  Please contact Ryan Klein at rklein@alliancepharmaco.com or 919-801-3146.

Remember when we used to meet in person for our conference experiences? We would gather at conference centers and hotel complexes to attend great seminars, to have insightful conversation, to reconnect with old friends and to make new friends. Everything has changed this year as we all continue to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic. We understand that many of us are sad about what we may miss, but we are thankful for the technology available that allows us to still attend conferences virtually. We know great interactions, education and conversations can still occur even if it has to happen online!

Our latest blog offers tips on how you can make the most of your virtual conference experience. We hope these tips help you as you adapt to our “new normal”. We look forward to seeing and meeting with you during virtual events in the months ahead. Thank you for the trust you put into us with your drug development and drug metabolism projects!

Tips for attending a virtual conference

We are all used to packing our bags, traveling and preparing for our interactions when it comes to attending conferences. COVID-19, however; has changed all of that this year. As many conferences are turning into virtual events, we thought we’d highlight some ways you can get the most out of your virtual conference experience.

• Prepare mentally for attending the conference. You don't want to just "show up" online. Be prepared with any prep work you would have done prior to an in-person conference. This includes being aware of any potential distractions surrounding you, including your email and phone notifications. It’s tempting to try and multi-task in this circumstance, but do what you can to stay focused on the meeting, just like you would if you attended in person.
  
  
• Be bold. Just as you wouldn't attend an in-person conference and stay in your room the entire time, except for a session or two, you must also be bold in these virtual settings. That means being willing to ask the questions, make the introductions and network. Many virtual conference platforms are offering video chats. Don’t be afraid to ask someone for a face-to-face call.
  
  
• Be active on social media. Social media is a great tool for staying connected and asking questions before, during and after a virtual conference. If you aren't comfortable asking in a live event, use that hashtag to ask your questions on social media channels. Not sure you want your question in public spaces? Follow the social media channels of the conference host, speakers, panelists, sponsors, vendors and attendees, and use those direct message features or find the contact info for that direct email or phone call.
  
  
• Take time to stroll. At a conference, you may pick up a cup of coffee and stroll through the booth areas. Do the same with virtual booth access. Vendors are supporting the virtual meeting through funding and their presence at the meeting. Provide some support for them by visiting the virtual booth and learning about their services in between presentations and during the times dedicated to the virtual exhibit hall.
  
  
• Be patient! Just as you are learning to now navigate a virtual conference, so are all the other attendees, vendors and hosts. There will be times when technology doesn't work right, people forget to mute themselves or even random hiccups occur. Some of it may even feel awkward. Through it all, remember we are all working to adapt in the midst of all the changes COVID-19 has brought this year.
  
  
• Don’t leave early. That last session or final connection may just be the one that makes a difference for you and your company. Make sure to take full advantage of the entire schedule and resist the temptation to head to the couch early.
  
  

You can find our conference schedule on our website and our social media channels. Please remember we may not have a table set up around the corner of the conference hall, but we are here to answer any of your questions and welcome your conversation. Visit us at our virtual booth and chat with our team through the virtual conference links at our scheduled events. You are also always welcome to contact us at 610-296-3152 or info@alliancepharmaco.com.

We look forward to seeing you at that next virtual conference!

If you’re going to any upcoming conferences and would like to meet with us, please contact Ryan Klein at rklein@alliancepharmaco.com or 919-801-3146.

Seven hundred scientists, students, and exhibitors convened at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Oregon, USA this past July 28–31 for ISSX2019.

Alliance Pharma is proud to have presented the three posters below.
Click poster images below to download a PDF file.

If you’re going to any upcoming conferences and would like to meet with us, please contact Ryan Klein at rklein@alliancepharmaco.com or 919-801-3146.

Chunying Gao, Ph.D.

Drug transporters play a key role in the absorption, distribution, metabolism, elimination and toxicity (ADME-Tox) of many drugs by controlling the entry or exit of drug molecules into and out of tissues or organs. Due to the importance of drug transporters in these processes and the potential drug-drug interactions among drug molecules on these transporters, in vitro transport studies on a standard panel of drug transporters are recommended by the FDA, EMA, and PDMA regulatory agencies to evaluate the potential interactions as substrates and/or inhibitors among the investigational drugs. The current panel includes P-gp, BCRP, OATP1B1, OATP1B3, OAT1, OAT3, OCT2, MATE1 and MATE2-K; although regulatory agencies are routinely requesting data on additional transporters outside of the current group. 

According to the FDA guidance,^[1] several in vitro models are recommended for each transporter:

Alliance Pharma has established a set of cell- or membrane vesicle-based assays to support filing packages for the studies recommended by regulatory agencies. For ABC transporters, a membrane vesicle assay (for P-gp and BCRP) and MDR1/MDCK bidirectional permeability assay (for P-gp) has been established. For SLC transporters, an assay platform based on transiently transfected HEK293 cells has been optimized and validated, and can be used for both screening of substrate/inhibitor and K_m/IC₅₀ determination.

[1] https://www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/Guidances/UCM581965.pdf