Design of a Pembrolizumab Manufacturing Plant Utilizing a Perfusion Bioreactor and Precipitation Chromatography; Workers' Response to Remote Work

How can public health in the United States be promoted? Public health bears complex and changing relationships with other values, including individual liberty, social responsibility, and expert authority.

How can continuous bioprocessing optimally produce pembrolizumab? In June 2020, the US Food and Drug Association approved pembrolizumab as a first-line colon cancer treatment, making it the first alternative to chemotherapy in the US. Merck, the current manufacturer, sells a single dose of pembrolizumab for $5,634. When the pembrolizumab patent expires in 2028, competition may cut the cost of a dose in half. The research team designed a cost-effective pembrolizumab manufacturing plant in which Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells express pembrolizumab in a perfusion reactor; precipitation chromatography purifies the product.

What have employees who work from home in the United States said about the effect of their working conditions on their mental health? Due to the coronavirus pandemic, remote work has become an option for many U.S. employees, but the effects of remote work on mental health remain largely unknown. Through primary source documentation, varieties of responses to remote work were qualitatively characterized. Not all employees prefer remote work, which leads to increased isolation for most people. Individuals should weigh the benefits of remote work for themselves, considering economic harm for the hospitality industry and possible unjust layoffs that may result.