C-SOPS

The Pharmaceutical Engineering Laboratory at Rutgers-New Brunswick includes over 15,000 square feet of dedicated research and development space: 

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• 6,400 square feet specifically designed for pharmaceutical manufacturing research

• 1,100 square feet of space devoted to Test Bed 1, the continuous manufacturing commercialization project

• 8,400 square feet of laboratory space for nano-catalysis and reaction engineering activities

• 2,000 square feet of laboratory space for powder materials storage  

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The pharmaceutical manufacturing research area, complete with GMP-quality, seamless epoxy flooring, has capabilities for controlling temperature and humidity, thereby enabling the maintenance of environmental conditions conducive to pharmaceutical manufacturing.  The nano-catalysis research area is outfitted with over 13 laminar-flow hoods, and three of the lab rooms also have temperature and humidity controls.  The two-story pilot plant area for continuous manufacturing is equipped with specialized equipment, controls, and safety interlocks designed to eliminate the safety hazards associated with the explosivity of powder/air mixtures often encountered in processing, and with the toxicological effects linked to APIs and inert dust particles.

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In addition, CSOPS at Rutgers also features the 2,000 sq. ft. Continuous Pharmaceutical Advanced Manufacturing Laboratory (CpAML), a fully integrated, control-enabled, commercial scale pilot plant for continuous manufacturing.  This facility, which is the only one of its kind at a university anywhere in the world, is capable of manufacturing pharmaceutical products by any of the major modes (direct compression, wet granulation, roller compaction, and hot melt extrusion, as well as capsules). The equipment comprises a number of  major units  (three  blenders, 10 feeders, two roller compactor, two tablet presses, a continuous granulator, a continuous drier) that have been received (mostly as in-kind contributions of ERC industrial members), and a seamless floor and air handling equipment. In addition, CpAML is also equipped with specialized equipment, controls, and safety interlocks designed to eliminate the safety hazards associated with the explosivity of powder/air mixtures often encountered in processing. The Rutgers facility served as the model for the INSPIRE facility by Janssen in Gurabo, Puerto Rico, and has been also the starting design point of numerous other facilities at companies around the world.

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