Genentech

Overview

Biopharmaceutical company where Ann Lee held a senior role; planned a major CCP2 capacity expansion with 8 × 25,000-liter bioreactors at Vacaville — the largest scale available at the time — before Lee drove a titer improvement campaign that reduced the need for that capacity. Genentech invested in 8 bioreactors of 25,000 liters at its Vacaville facility — the largest scale available at the time and never previously done — as part of a CCP2 capacity expansion for Avastin and Rituxan, before Ann Lee arrived and challenged the approach. At Genentech, titers for Avastin and Rituxan were below one gram per liter when Ann Lee arrived; by splitting the organization into early-stage and late-stage departments and pursuing subclone and media improvements, titers were raised significantly above one gram per liter. (Segment 7 (30:00-35:00))