Matthew Bartolucci

Matthew Bartolucci


Recent posts by Matthew Bartolucci

2 min read

Sustainable Science: Introducing Carbon-Neutral Shipping

By Matthew Bartolucci on 4/22/20 8:10 PM

Did you know that laboratory facilities often use 5-10x more energy compared to similarly-sized “normal” office spaces? Abveris is enacting sweeping changes to our laboratory and business operations to reduce our company's carbon footprint. 

In this post, we’ll detail our initiatives built to dramatically reduce the carbon cost of our shipping, including adopting carbon-neutral shipping methods and material reuse programs. We’ll share tips to implement similar changes at your company, too. 

 
Cold-chain shipping:
ESSENTIAL FOR RESEARCH & ENVIRONMENTALLY COSTLY 

Shipping is an important part of scientific collaborations today, which often extend beyond state and country lines. Since our founding five years ago, we’ve collaborated with scientists in more than 15 countries across four continents. For shipment of temperature-sensitive materials, we often rely on energy-intensive cold chain shipping methods that require additional packaging and refrigerants like ice packs, dry ice or liquid nitrogen. 

Initiative:
Carbon Offsets & Carbon-Neutral Shipping

Carbon offset programs allow small companies and individuals to participate in environmental projects to balance out their own carbon footprints. Abveris participates in verified carbon offset programs to support reforestation, landfill gas destruction, wastewater treatment, and methane destruction. 

You may be asking: how can I use carbon-neutral shipping?

Major shipping companies like UPS offer carbon-neutral shipping options. You'll be surprised to find that, often, the switch to carbon-neutral shipping will only impact shipment cost by $1 or less. 

Initiative:
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

We are reducing our use of virgin materials by reusing the insulated shippers sent to us by our suppliers. We receive many high-quality insulated shipping containers used for the shipment of non-hazardous materials, like culture media.  Simply by reusing shipping boxes, we able to cut our use of virgin materials in half without sacrificing any quality of the materials we deliver to you.   

You may be asking: how can I start a box reuse program? 

Reusing a box should be easy in most BSL1 and BSL2 laboratory settings. Here are some quick tips to make sure you’re preparing the box appropriately to ship without issue:

  • Cover all outer box labels from the box's previous journey. 

    Cover all of the labels on the box, even those that might still be relevant. We recommend using blank white shipping labels to “white-out” and cover all of the stickers. Add the new box labels on top of the “white-out.”  This is important to ensure there are no delays in your shipment. 

  • When in doubt, throw it out.

    If the box is structurally compromised or potentially contaminated, it should not be reused. Only use boxes in good condition to keep your precious samples (and the people handling them) safe. 

  • For international shipments, it’s best to use new.

    During international shipping, it is best practice to present a tidy, clearly labeled product for customs agents. Additionally, for long distance shipments, it is important to select a container with well-defined limitations so you know how long the box will keep your samples cool. During long-distance journeys there may be limited opportunities for dry ice or ice pack replenishment. 

Topics: Green Initiatives
1 min read

Sustainable Science: Introduction to Our Green Initiatives Blog

By Matthew Bartolucci on 2/7/20 7:30 AM

 
Abveris is excited to announce our new Green Initiatives blog series.
Why are we “green-ing” our operations?


We are a group of biopharmaceutical scientists advancing a scientific mission to produce better biotherapeutic drugs. While our mission does not directly relate to environmental science, we recognize that environmental health ties directly to human health. Global climate scientists have reached a clear consensus: to address climate change, dramatic action must be taken now. To ignore our company’s contribution to global carbon emissions and climate change is irresponsible.

What’s the plan?

Abveris is enacting sweeping changes to our laboratory and business operations to reduce our company's carbon footprint. Did you know that laboratory facilities use 5-10x more energy compared to similarly-sized “normal” office spaces? As our lab continues to grow, we're scrutinizing our policies on energy use and sustainability so we can build valuable therapeutic products without leaving a harmful footprint.

Why are we blogging about it?

In this blog series, you’ll find information about our efforts to overhaul our company operations and move towards net carbon-neutrality. These initiatives extend beyond our laboratory and office to build support for eco-conscious behaviors at work, at home, and in our supply chain. By showcasing what we are doing in our labs and offices, we hope that other pharmaceutical scientists can follow our progress and enact changes in their own companies and institutions.

In each of our posts, we’ll break down the following:
  • What specific action are we taking to address climate change?
  • Why are we making a change?
  • What's the implementation strategy?
  • How do we expect to make an impact?
  • How can you, the reader, make a similar change in your own company?

Check out this blog series at abveris.com/greenscience to stay updated on our progress!

Topics: Green Initiatives
1 min read

Meet the Team: Colby Souders

By Matthew Bartolucci on 10/8/19 7:08 AM

ColbySouders October 8, 2019 - Our team is comprised of creative, friendly, mission-focused antibody enthusiasts who take pride in discovery science. This summer, Abveris will be featuring all of our team members on our blog to showcase the personalities that make our team a community. Tune in to learn more about members of our team and see what they do inside and outside of work.

Colby Souders 
CSO
Q: What excites you about science?

A: We discover something new every day. Our purpose is to find something novel or better than its predecessor, and if we can do that, we improve many future lives. 

Q: What’s your favorite fun fact?

A: I am decidedly not a traveler (anyone who knows me would agree), yet I've been to three continents and lived in four different states. Go figure.  

Q: What do you do in your free time?

A: Spending time with friends and family.

Q: What is the coolest thing you have done at Abveris or what is your favorite memory of working here?

A: Every time someone learns or does something new, there's an overwhelmingly positive response. This is the best part of being at a growing company. 

Topics: Team Updates
1 min read

Abveris to attend Festival of Biologics 2019 in Basel, Switzerland

By Matthew Bartolucci on 10/3/19 10:17 PM

Basel, CH - October 4, 2019 - Will you be at the Festival of Biologics conference in Switzerland this year? Meet with our Director of Business Development, Ryan Kelly, who will be presenting a posters about our proprietary therapeutic antibody discovery technologies.  See you there from October 15-17.

About Festival of Biologics:

The Festival of Biologics combines four outstanding conferences, the European Antibody Congress, the World Immunotherapy Congress, the World Biosimilar Congress and the Clinical Trials World Congress to make one amazing event.

With both a conference and exhibition, the show brings together industry leaders to meet, discuss and showcase their work in the biologics, biopharma and immunotherapy fields, just to name a few.

The Congress hosts high-level speakers hailing from big pharma, biotech, academia, regulatory bodies, investor groups, and associations, discussing topics representing key challenges within their industries, new data, case studies and research.

This year, presentations will move through the entire development pipeline and focus on commercial applications. The Festival of Biologics’ mission is to bring together the full value chains from the antibodies, immunotherapy, clinical trials and biosimilars industries together, located in Basel – a major life science hub.

Topics: Conferences
1 min read

Meet the Team: Garren Hilow

By Matthew Bartolucci on 8/29/19 10:26 AM

GarrenHilow-1 August 29, 2019 - Our team is comprised of creative, friendly, mission-focused antibody enthusiasts who take pride in discovery science. This summer, Abveris will be featuring all of our team members on our blog to showcase the personalities that make our team a community. Tune in to learn more about members of our team and see what they do inside and outside of work.

Garren Hilow
CEO
Q: What excites you about science?

A: The direct application of biology to improve the health of people is very exciting and it's what we do here every day.

Q: Share a fun fact about you?

A: I once made extra money in college by selling balloon animals in the Downtown Crossing T station.

Q: What do you do in your free time?

A: I like to spend time with my wife and young son, mountain biking, and fishing.

Q: What is the coolest thing you have done at Abveris or what is your favorite memory of working here?

A: We have made a few antibodies that have gone on to be leads for our partners and have gone on to clinical trials. That direct application of our work to improving the health of our fellow humans is the coolest work I've done in my life.

Topics: Team Updates
1 min read

Meet the Team: Justin Gabriel

By Matthew Bartolucci on 7/24/19 10:30 AM

 


Justin Gabriel 

Research Associate - Lead TC

July 24, 2019 - Our team is comprised of creative, friendly, mission-focused antibody enthusiasts who take pride in discovery science. This summer, Abveris will be featuring all of our team members on our blog to showcase the personalities that make our team a community. Twice a week, tune in to learn more about members of our team and see what they do inside and outside of work.JustinGabriel

 

Q: What excites you about science?

A: It never ends! I think the most fascinating aspect of science is the fact that we've been studying the world around us for so long and there's still an unfathomably immense amount of ground to cover.

 

Q: What is your favorite fun fact?

A: Under normal atmospheric pressure/conditions (on Earth), water molecules move from their liquid to gaseous phase at ~720 m/s!!!

 

Q: What do you do in your free time?

A: Everything! Racing drones, ride my motorcycle, work on my car, disc golf, going to the gym. I'd try almost anything once!

 

Q: What is the coolest thing you have done at Abveris/what is your favorite memory of working here?

A: I believe the"coolest" aspect of working here at Abveris is getting exposure to all different aspects of antibody production while getting the opportunity to work alongside some amazing people. I truly do love coming to work everyday and am very grateful for every opportunity this company has given me.

1 min read

Meet the Team: Ryan Kelly

By Matthew Bartolucci on 7/16/19 10:30 AM

RyanKelly July 16, 2019 - Our team is comprised of creative, friendly, mission-focused antibody enthusiasts who take pride in discovery science. This summer, Abveris will be featuring all of our team members on our blog to showcase the personalities that make our team a community. Twice a week, tune in to learn more about members of our team and see what they do inside and outside of work.

Ryan Kelly

Director of Business Development

Q: What excites you about science?

A: Scientific understanding unlocks a whole new sensory experience that extends beyond vision, hearing, smell, taste, and touch.

Q: What is your favorite fun fact?

A: Polar bears don't actually have white fur. Also, they can run at 25 MPH.  Also, they are terrifying!

Q: What do you do in your free time?

A: During my free time, I'm often found in the mountains. I'm a fan of hiking (during any season!) and I'm a member of a ski club. Also, I have a huge, loving Boston Irish family, so there's a good chance you'll find me hanging out with them.

Q: What is the coolest thing you have done at Abveris or what is your favorite memory of working here?

A: During my time at Abveris, I've watched our team grow almost 10x in size. It has been an exciting adventure!  In my job, I get to interact directly with biopharma scientists from all over the globe. These relationships are what get me excited to get out of bed every morning.

1 min read

Meet the Team: Brendan Greamo

By Matthew Bartolucci on 7/12/19 11:04 AM

BrendanGreamo July 12, 2019 - Our team is comprised of creative, friendly, mission-focused antibody enthusiasts who take pride in discovery science. This summer, Abveris will be featuring all of our team members on our blog to showcase the personalities that make our team a community. Twice a week, tune in to learn more about members of our team and see what they do inside and outside of work.

Brendan Greamo

Research Associate 

Q: What excites you about science?

A: I love understanding how things work, and watching this understanding be used to gain an even better grasp of how nature works. 

Q: What is your favorite fun fact?

A: Birds are dinosaurs.

Q: What do you do in your free time?

A: I like to feed my salamander and play basketball.

Q: What is the coolest thing you have done at Abveris or what is your favorite memory of working here?

A:  The coolest thing I have done is to generate Abveris' largest ever batch of purified antibody... next stop:  1 gram!

Topics: Team Updates
2 min read

Abveris and Harbour Antibodies H2L2 BV Announce Technology Co-Offering Agreement for Fully Human Antibody Discovery

By Matthew Bartolucci on 7/1/19 8:01 AM

Click here to read the press release on Business Wire.

Canton, MA, USA, Cambridge, MA, USA, and Rotterdam, the Netherlands, July 1, 2019 - Abveris, Inc., a global leader in contract research antibody discovery, and Harbour Antibodies H2L2 BV, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Harbour BioMed, today announced a partnership to offer fully-human antibody discovery service that combines Abveris’ antibody discovery services with the Harbour H2L2 human transgenic mouse platform. The combined offering eliminates the need for antibody humanization through the use of the H2L2 Harbour Mice™, and benefits from Abveris’ full suite of therapeutic antibody discovery capabilities.

Abveris was selected as a designated CRO to offer its fully-human antibody discovery service under the Co-Offering Agreement utilizing the H2L2 Harbour Mice™. The Co-Offering Agreement with Harbour includes a low-upfront evaluation fee and pre-negotiated commercial terms that Abveris can in turn provide to partners. The new Co-Offering allows Abveris clients to assess the H2L2 human transgenic mouse technology before committing to a full commercial license.

“We have historically generated potent, fully-human antibodies using the H2L2 Harbour Mice™. This program will allow us to continue to offer H2L2 antibody discovery with the elimination of contractual barriers for our biopharma partners seeking fully-human antibody discovery,” said Garren Hilow, CEO of Abveris. “We look forward to continuing our partnership with Harbour to use the H2L2 Harbour Mice™ in both our hybridoma platform and our AbX Biologics single B-cell discovery platform.”

“We are really excited about this Agreement which allows us to offer our partners access to this leading technology platform in the form of the H2L2 Harbour Mice™. It is an integral part of our strategy to build truly innovative products both in-house and with our partners, and the partnership with Abveris will further allow us to better fulfill unmet medical needs for patients worldwide,” said Jingsong Wang, MD, Ph.D., Chairman & CEO of Harbour BioMed.

Harbour’s patented H2L2 mouse platform provides antibody generation through a natural in vivo process, allowing for the generation of diversified, affinity-matured, human antibody repertoires. Harbour Mice™ licensees include over 40 multinational pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and academic institutions. Abveris will leverage this platform in combination with its own proprietary immunization and high-throughput characterization capabilities to provide a fully-human therapeutic antibody discovery offering to its growing customer base.

 

About Abveris:

Abveris is a premium Boston-area contract research organization specializing in antibody discovery. Abveris partners with large and small biopharmaceutical companies to discover novel therapeutic products and critical reagent antibodies using diverse platforms, including the proprietary DiversimAb™ hyperimmune mouse technology and a variety of humanized mice. Additional information about Abveris is available at www.abveris.com

Contact:
Ryan Kelly, MBA
Abveris, Inc.
480 Neponset Street, Suite 10B
Canton, MA 02021, USA
contact@abverisantibody.com

About Harbour Antibodies:

Harbour Antibodies H2L2 BV is a fully owned subsidiary of Harbour BioMed, a global biopharmaceutical company discovering and developing innovative therapeutics for oncology and immunological diseases (www.harbourbiomed.com). Harbour Antibodies owns two strains of transgenic mice for generating human therapeutic antibodies: (1) mice that generate antibodies comprised of two heavy chains and two light chains (H2L2) with fully human variable regions; and (2) mice that generate novel “heavy chain only” antibodies (HCAb). The HCAb mice enable the development of antibody fragment-based therapeutics such as nanobodies, bi-specific antibodies and CAR-T with favorable drug-like properties. For additional information, please visit www.harbourantibodies.com

Contact:
Jung Lee, Ph.D.
Harbour Antibodies
One Broadway
Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
Jung.Lee@harbourbiomed.com

Topics: Press Releases Service & Product Updates
1 min read

Meet the Team: Eric Batitay

By Matthew Bartolucci on 6/25/19 11:46 AM

EricBatitay June 25, 2019 - Our team is comprised of creative, friendly, mission-focused antibody enthusiasts who take pride in discovery science. This summer, Abveris will be featuring all of our team members on our blog to showcase the personalities that make our team a community. Twice a week, tune in to learn more about members of our team and see what they do inside and outside of work

Eric Batitay
Senior Vivarium Manager
Q: What excites you about science?

A: The joy of discovery!

Q: What is your favorite fun fact?

A: Elephants think that humans are cute... and my wife thinks so, too!

Q: What do you do in your free time?

A: Spending time with my amazing family!

Q: What is the coolest thing you have done at Abveris or what is your favorite memory of working here?

A: December 2017 is by far my best memory. It is when I started here at Abveris working with some of the greatest minds in the world.

Topics: Team Updates

Featured