Research and Development

60 years committed to R & D

ELEA Laboratory was very strongly involved in endocrinology from the very beginning in 1939, where it got its first name from - Argentine Endocrinic Laboratory (Laboratorio Endocrínico Argentino), specializing in proteic and steroidal hormones. Its commitment towards R & D made it a pioneer in the Argentine market, manufacturing and offering to the medical community Human Corionic Gonadotropin (hCG) and Adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) at the same time as this was appearing in the international market.

The Company’s experience with extractive methods, purification and biological control, positioned it as the main world producer of Seric Gonadotropin (PMSG) causing a worldwide technological revolution in cattle breeding allowing SUPEROVULATION and EMBRYO TRANSPLANT. Later the control of a sophisticated technology allowed the company to produce human Menopausic Gonadotropin (hMG).

A very early and clear understanding of GLP’s (Good Laboratory Practices) was instrumental in working with the National Medicine Control Laboratory, in the 70´s, (Presently INAME) in the development and establishment of the First National Standard for hCG, PMSG, and hMG, compared with the equivalent international standards.

R & D has been part of the Laboratory’s identity from the very beginning. This capability allowed us early development of “Releasing Factors” , by means of a new technology “ Solid Phase Peptide Synthesis”. This way ELEA was the first and only national laboratory doing the synthesis, purification and formulation of Tirotropin Releasing Hormone (TRH) and Luteotropin Releasing Hormone (LHRH).

The know-how in the handling of proteins characterized by the strong correlation between structural integrity and biological activity, became a solid base for the introduction of the laboratory into the Bio-technology area. At present this is the fastest growing area of the company with products such as:

• Human Recombinant Erythropoietin (Pronivel)
• Human Recombinant Granulocyte Colony Stimulating Factor (G-CSF)
  

To these Bio-tech products, the following biological products should be added:
Endocorion(hCG), Acthelea (ACTH), Trhelea (TRH), Luteoliberina (LHRH), Agrippal, Menjugate C, Tetanol.

Amongst other completed projects we can mention:

• Development and manufacturing of a last generation Diagnostic Kit for the early diagnostic of Diabetes mellitus and other autoimmune sicknesses, by means of the autoimmune recombinant protein GAD.
• Production of the Human Recombinant Thyrosine Phosphatase (ICA 512) and its application to the early diagnostic of Diabetes mellitus.
• Study of the response of EPO in children and adults with AIDS, under treatment with AZT, and in the case of children, with pre-dialysis kidney failure.

The R & D pipeline includes the following projects:

• Phase I/II Clinical Studies in the development of an anti-cancer vaccine from gangliosides and anti-idiotype monoclonal antibodies, for melanoma, breast and lung cancer.
• Production of Human Granulocyte Colony Stimulating Factor, Recombinant (G-CSF)
• Development of the RT-PCR kit for tyrosinase as a tumor indicator for melanoma.
• On-going updating of analytical methods for the Physico-chemical and biological control of the bio-tech, biological and diagnostics products.

Some of these projects are carried out as our own projects, while others are executed through strategic alliances, mainly with Argentine and International Universities and R & D Institutes.

 

Director of R & D
Dr. Hector Ostrowski
ostrowsh@elea.com

Back Top