(Research Triangle Park, N.C.) Mustard Tree Instruments®, the leader in analytical instrumentation for the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry, is announcing two promotions of technical staff to bolster the company’s development of new analytical tools to redefine product testing regimen and avoid costly recalls.
Brian Garrett, who joined Mustard Tree Instruments® as its Director of Analytics two years ago, has been named Chief Technical Officer. Jared Peterson has been promoted to Software Architect and Manager where he will lead the company’s software development team.
“Analytics is a critical and a significant differentiator for Mustard Tree Instruments. Brian’s work is the foundation that brings value and success to our customers,” Todd Blonshine, Mustard Tree Instruments CEO, said.
Both Garrett and Peterson have contributed to the development of the VTT 1000, Mustard Tree Instruments® at-line testing and verification tool. The VTT 1000 was featured in a September 27 webinar hosted by Science Officer Brisco Harward, Ph.D., titled, “Counterfeit Drugs, Product Recalls, Raw Material Testing and QC Backlogs - Sound Familiar?”
Mustard Tree Instruments® has made an archived copy of Dr. Harward’s webinar available to the public, free of charge. To request a link to the webinar, email lori.searls@mustardtree.com with “ Sept webinar” in the subject line.
In the webinar, Dr. Harward discusses stresses on quality control resources within the pharmaceutical manufacturing pipeline which are leading to issues like product recalls and drug shortages.
Recent national news reports have identified more than 200 drugs in critical short supply in 2011, due in part to manufacturing and quality control problems. That number is three times the approximately 70 drugs per year reported as being in short supply between 2003 and 2006. The shortages are being blamed for hospitals delaying treatment and as many as 15 deaths in 15 months.
The VTT 1000, as detailed in Dr. Harward’s webinar, utilizes Raman spectroscopy as a non-destructive approach to materials testing for drug manufacturers, reducing testing expense and decreasing manufacturing cycle time while reducing the risk of manufacturing an out-of-specification product.
“Our technology seeks to close the gap in the testing tools needed to assure quality products being made with fewer recalls,” Todd Blonshine said, adding, “Rapid testing with MTI instrumentation provides our customers with tools to assure fact-based decision making versus producing at risk.”
The heavy focus on analytics by the VTT 1000 is due in part by the work done by Brian Garrett, who designed the instrument to be as intuitive as possible in order to give the right answer to the right person at the right time, easily adaptable to each customer’s on-site processes.
Garrett began his career with the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory and moved on to such prestigious companies as The George Washington University Medical Center and SAS Institute. Prior to joining Mustard Tree Instruments®, he was the Global Director for Technical Architects at Space-Time Research, an international company serving National Statistical Organizations. Reporting to the CEO, Garrett is responsible for algorithm development and intellectual property acquisition.k
Jared Peterson has a BS in Computer Science from Auburn University. He has worked as a software developer for 12 years in industries such as telecom and business intelligence. Jared came to Mustard Tree Instruments® from Saffron Technology, where he was a Senior Developer responsible for developing end-user analytical applications primarily used in government organizations. Peterson has worked on large projects for DARPA and the Department of Defense.
For more information about the VTT 1000 or Mustard Tree Instruments® please visit www.mustardtree.com or email info@mustardtree.com.
About Mustard Tree Instruments®
Mustard Tree Instruments® accelerates the QC process by bringing testing from the lab to the production line (www.Lab2Line.com). Mustard Tree Instruments® is redefining pharmaceutical manufacturing testing with a unique multi-variant device, the VTT 1000. Using Raman spectroscopy technology for enhanced accuracy, this easy to use at-line instrument quickly verifies raw materials to final dosage forms in solid, powder, gel, and liquid product samples within seconds. The rapid analytics of the VTT 1000 significantly reduce testing time and set-up costs while mitigating manufacturing risks associated with bad product batches. Mustard Tree Instruments is committed to fully engaging with our customers from purchase through implementation. For more information, visit www.mustardtree.com
