Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) announced that it has joined the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing to Advance Biomanufacturing (NIIMBL). Membership in NIIMBL demonstrates Agilent’s commitment to supporting biopharma and biotherapeutics customer challenges through partnership and innovation using tools and workflows.

The biomanufacturing industry is increasingly interested in continuous manufacturing solutions that can reduce the manufacturing footprint and improve supply chain logistics and biotherapeutic access by enabling manufacturing to move closer to patients, especially in underserved areas. The NIIMBL mission is to accelerate biopharmaceutical innovation, support the development of standards that enable more efficient and rapid manufacturing capabilities, and educate and train a world-leading biopharmaceutical manufacturing workforce, which will fundamentally advance U.S. competitiveness in the industry.

“Agilent has long played a key role in providing trusted answers for the analytical needs of the biopharmaceutical industry,” said Agilent CEO Mike McMullen. “The prominence of biopharmaceuticals coupled with the advent of precision cell and gene biotherapeutics has further spurred the need for innovative measurement tools to help deliver life-saving drugs and diagnostics to patients.”

Agilent’s online HPLC sampling portfolio, cellular imaging, and real-time sensor technologies exemplify how the company can help address current and emerging needs. Additionally, Agilent’s NIIMBL membership will allow us to work closely with all continuum partners to help shape the future of innovation and standards used in bioprocess development and biomanufacturing.