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| Edward Trappler founder of LTI |
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Lyophilization Technology, Inc. (LTI) was formed in January 1992 by Edward Trappler starting out in an office in his home. His ambition was to form a company with unique qualities, culture, and working environment, creating an organization to provide services and technical support in freezing and freeze drying. The initial business model was to couple a commercial enterprise of providing services to the industry, with an interest in exploring the science and technology by applying resources to study and understand the basic principles. Since its inception, the company has come to provide an extensive range of services, collaborating with a great number of clients, working on different types of products, in diverse applications of the technology. Results of applying some of the company resources into research interests have been shared with the industry in more than 60 presentations and publications by LTI staff. Numerous courses and scientific papers have been presented for societies and professional organizations within the United States and internationally.
Initially starting with providing the industry consulting, product development, process engineering, and training, the range of services expanded as the company grew. Quickly outgrowing the available room in his home which was then offices and workspace for the first full time associate and part-time student, and with the need for basic laboratory utilities, a client was willing to rent some unused space adjacent to their manufacturing operation. This first laboratory consisted of an 8 square foot lyophilizer and basic laboratory equipment housed in a small room at BHP Diagnostics in West Chester, Pennsylvania. In 1995, the operations moved to a 2600 square foot facility in Warwick, Pennsylvania, where the staff grew to seven employees. During that time, capabilities continued to expand with the installation of a 2 square foot / 5 liter and 8 square foot / 15 liter lyophilizers, along with the first three generations of a unique freeze drying microscope. Outgrowing the facility within four years, the company again moved to the current 10,000 square foot facility at 30 Indian Drive in Ivyland, Pennsylvania.
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This new facility was originally organized into approximately 3800 square feet comprising of development and process laboratories, 3200 square feet of office and support area, and 3500 square feet of warehouse area. With increasing interest in processing biological preparations, oncology products, and highly potent compounds, the warehouse was converted to a containment area with an additional 8 square foot and 48 square foot lyophilizer. Product development studies of the first biological product requiring containment were completed in December of 2005. The area was then upgraded with the ability to prepare sterile clinical trial materials and the first batches were completed early in 2006. Now with 23 employees in Administrative, Clinical Manufacturing, Development, Maintenance, and Quality activities, the company continues to grow in both resources and services available to clients.
The mandate for the organization remains unchanged: provide services to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, clinical diagnostic and medical device sectors of the health care industry, capitalizing on the knowledge, experience and expertise in lyophilization. These services span product design, formulation development, process engineering, testing freeze dried preparations, thermal analysis, and consulting services. The practical application of knowledge, experience and expertise in providing clients services continues to be coupled with interests in applied research and advancing the technology. This combination of research and commercial enterprise provides the industry a unique source of comprehensive expertise that spans bringing new products to market, to increasing the quality and productivity of existing operations.
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