Meissner Corporation, a leading manufacturer of advanced microfiltration and single-use systems for production of pharmaceutical drugs, biologics, and cell and gene therapies, will invest nearly $250 million in a new manufacturing facility in Athens, Georgia. The project is expected to create over 1,700 new jobs over the next eight years. Meissner’s new facility will include state-of-the-art cleanroom facilities and laboratories, as well as R&D, and office spaces. Meissner expects to begin operations in early 2026 and will be hiring for a broad range of roles. Interested parties can visit the employment listings on www.meissner.com. The Athens, GA location provides direct access to work with schools such as the University of Georgia, Georgia Institute of Technology, and Athens Technical College for internship and collaboration opportunities through relevant programs of study. The project was supported by the Georgia Department of Economic Development, Invest Athens, Georgia Power, and Georgia Quick Start.
The BPI US virtual event will run September 21-24, 2020. In this video snippet, Rizwan Chaudhrey, Biotech Blogger, catches up with Karisa Koenig, Director of Marketing, during the event to discuss the opening of Meissner’s Castlebar, Ireland, manufacturing site, the launch of M-Flex® TPE tubing as a direct replacement option in single-use systems for the C-Flex® 374 shortage, and the award-winning CryoVault® freeze/thaw platform for bulk drug substance. Meissner’s Live Lab presentation, delivered by Tristan Winneker, Product Manager, officially launched their portfolio of Seprapor® hollow fiber filters during the show. The presentation can be viewed On-Demand through the Live Labs section on the virtual portal. A free Exhibit Pass to the event can be requested by visiting https://bit.ly/2FIrLvN. Meissner will be hosting a Solutions Provider booth where visitors can video chat with our team and download product information.
A Roundtable panel fielded a series of questions centering on whether single-use technologies had finally become “standard” for biopharmaceutical manufacturing, and if there were unforeseen benefits/disadvantages to the adoption of this technology. Max Blomberg, Executive Director of Operations, participated on behalf of Meissner, along with representatives from companies like Catalent, Advantapure, BioPlan Associates, Pharmatech Associates, and Sartorius.
This overview of the CryoVault® Platform takes you inside a demo suite that provides Meissner’s clients the opportunity to experience this end-to-end solution for the freeze and thaw of critical biopharmaceuticals. Once inside the demo suite, clients can interact with the CryoVault® containers, and all of the supporting infrastructure. This includes pallets, pallet movers, accessory carts for fill and dispense, mixers and large and small scale freezers and secure shippers to ship BDS and drug product. CryoVault® is scalable, robust, and completely single-use. Join, Robert Davies, Meissner’s Product Manager Process Solutions/Integrated Solutions, as we explore our client demo suite featuring our CryoVault® freeze and thaw platform.
In order to be operational in Q1 2020, Meissner purchased a new, existing 34,000 sq.ft. Advanced Technology Building constructed by the IDA in County Mayo, Castlebar, Ireland, expanding it to 100,000 sq.ft. Meissner has also purchased the adjacent land in order to be able to more than triple the facility’s current footprint. Meissner plans to install a substantial, state of the art cleanroom within the existing facility to be used for the manufacture of Single-Use Systems (SUS) that support their biopharmaceutical and pharmaceutical client base.
The press conference in Castlebar, Ireland, was well attended by the press and local dignitaries. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar delivered an introductory pre-recorded video welcome to kick off the event, and Michael Ring T.D., Minister for Rural and Community Development, as well as Mary Buckley, IDA Ireland Executive Director, delivered welcoming speeches. Breaking the details of Meissner’s new European facility, both Christopher Meissner, CEO, and Max Blomberg, Director of Operations, spoke at the event. Laura Meissner, Director of Quality Assurance, Rob Pearce, Project Manager, Thomas Vandromme, Director of Business Development for Europe, Christian Julien, Chief Science Officer, and Karisa Koenig, Director of Marketing, were present to represent Meissner and spoke to members of the press. This video news footage shows the RTÉ’s, Ireland’s National Television and Radio Broadcaster, coverage of the event.
Jeff Johnson, Director and New Technology Lead, Global Engineering Solutions, Merck & Co., Inc., delivers a live presentation at INTERPHEX New York on a “Large Scale Single-Use Bulk Drug Substance Freeze and Thaw Platform.” This presentation is an overview of a novel single-use end-to-end solution for freeze, thaw, handling and transport of Bulk Drug Substance. Jeff’s talk touches on design consideration, scalability, stability, and proof of concept.
Merck and Meissner Launch Next-Generation Platform for Freezing Bulk Drug Substance
TL;DR – Merck and Meissner’s New Freezing Platform
Merck & Co., Inc., in partnership with Meissner, has launched a scalable, single-use platform for freezing bulk drug substances (BDS). The system solves key challenges like cryo-concentration, container integrity, and cold chain inefficiency. It supports volumes from 30 mL to 100L, reduces capital and operating costs, enables faster freeze/thaw cycles, and ensures GMP compliance. Now commercially available through Meissner, it sets a new standard for efficient, high-integrity BDS storage and shipping.
The Problem: Limitations in Traditional Freezing
Historically, freezing BDS involved either uncontrolled methods, resulting in variability and integrity risks, or highly engineered controlled freezing systems that were capital-intensive, laborious, and often inefficient. A major issue with traditional freezing was cryo-concentration, where uneven freezing left proteins and salts highly concentrated in certain areas, risking aggregation and loss of product quality.
Merck identified a critical industry gap: the need for a low-cost, reliable freezing solution that supports modern GMP manufacturing and emerging formulations.
The Solution: A New Single-Use, Controlled-Freezing Platform
Six years in development, Merck and Meissner’s new platform features single-use containers in 100L (75L working volume) and 20L (16L working volume) sizes. The system is designed for vaccines and biologics, supports freezing, storage, shipping, thawing, and final formulation, and includes:
Custom Freezers: Accommodates up to 300L per batch with 12-hour freeze time.
Insulated Shipping Units: Maintain temperature for up to 90 hours and are airline-compatible.
Integrated Material Handling: Hoists, dollies, and Euro-pallet compatibility for operational ease.
Sampling System: An innovative “tailgate syringe” enables in-container sampling without separate bags.
Key Innovations and Advantages
Scalable, Uniform Design: The platform maintains a consistent freezing profile across container sizes (from 30 mL to 100L) using perpendicular airflow and controlled geometry. Containers freeze uniformly from outside-in, minimizing cryo-concentration.
Integrity-First Engineering: Early designs experienced cracking due to ice bridging. This was resolved through CFD modeling and two fixes:
Thicker container walls.
An insulated protective shroud reducing top-side heat loss.
Validated Performance:
50+ consecutive successful 75L runs with zero integrity issues.
No failures with the 20L system.
Tested with partial fills down to 20% without integrity risk.
Thawing Optimization: A gentle mechanical rocker reduced thaw time from 12 to 8 hours while preventing aggregation.
Reduced Cold Chain Footprint:
300L fits on one Euro pallet vs. 100L in traditional systems.
One-third the storage volume required.
Operational Efficiency:
One-tenth the capital cost.
Simplified material handling.
Rapid deployment—one operator loaded four containers in five minutes.
Regulatory Compliance:
Gamma irradiated.
Fully validated CCI and ASTM shipping testing (including frozen drop and vibration).
Manufactured in a clean room using medical-grade HDPE (fully recyclable and low particulate).
Strategic Impact: Redefining the Future of Drug Substance Freezing
This next-generation freeze and thaw platform from Merck and Meissner solves critical industry pain points around cost, scale, and product integrity. With a decade-long net present cost savings projected at over $10 million per product, this system represents a new standard for bulk drug substance freezing—efficient, reproducible, and ready for global deployment.
