Bioprocessing

Codiak BioSciences is constructing a 12,000-sf clinical manufacturing center in Lexington, Mass. The project includes the build-out of a leased lab and office building to create a GMP facility for the production of exosome therapeutics. Codiak is incorporating G-CON Manufacturing's PODs into the center to provide flexible cleanroom capacity. The prefabricated units offer exceptional scalability and mobility, and can be easily repurposed to meet future needs.

CRISPR Therapeutics signed a full-building lease in July of 2020 for a 263,500-sf facility in Boston's Seaport district. Breakthrough Properties is the developer for the project, which was designed by Payette to provide best-in-class laboratory environments for life science research. Both LEED Gold and Fitwel certification will be sought for the structure, which will offer multiple amenities including outdoor terraces and a fitness center.

The Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult is planning to create the Manufacturing Innovation Centre in Braintree in the United Kingdom. Supported by £100 million in government funding, the project will enable mass production of a COVID-19 vaccine. An existing pharmaceutical plant has been purchased from Benchmark Holdings at a cost of £16 million. The structure's GMP infrastructure for antigen production, formulation, process development, and scale manufacturing will be repurposed and enhanced. Completion is expected in December of 2021.

MilliporeSigma, a subsidiary of Merck, is planning to expand its existing campus in Buchs, Switzerland, with the construction of a $20 million laboratory for the company's reference materials business. Accommodating 40 employees, the three-story, 12,000-sf structure will provide analytical and R&D suites for the testing of pharmaceuticals, environmental materials, and food and beverage products.

Wake Technical Community College is constructing the $33.4 million Lilly Science and Technology Center in Morrisville, N.C. Designed by O'Brien Atkins Associates, the 66,000-sf facility will provide sophisticated classrooms and laboratories for the school's growing biotechnology programs. The three-story structure will accommodate a biopharmaceutical simulation suite, a cleanroom for training courses in aseptic processing techniques, information technology labs, and conference rooms.

Ryvu Therapeutics completed construction in June of 2020 on the R&D Center for Innovative Drugs in Krakow, Poland. Accommodating approximately 300 employees, the $20 million headquarters and research facility will enable the clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company to accelerate the development of novel small molecule therapies that address emerging targets in oncology.

Catalent is rapidly scaling up its manufacturing capacity in Bloomington to enable production of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate that is currently being by developed by Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson. The collaboration involves joint investment from Catalent and Janssen to enable large-scale commercial manufacturing by January of 2021, with segregated cGMP production lines operating 24/7 to create approximately a billion doses.

Exyte is partnering with Univercells Technologies to create modular biomanufacturing facilities to meet the increased global demand for vaccines during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Exyte’s prefabricated construction system, ExyCell, is paired with Univercells’ NevoLine biomanufacturing platform which features the scale-X™ fixed-bed bioreactor at its core.

Medicago is building a 646,000-sf vaccine manufacturing complex in Quebec City, Canada. Designed by NFOE, the facility will support the production of approximately 50 million doses of recombinant quadrivalent influenza vaccine per year. The project has a construction cost of CAD$143 million and is expected to be fully operational in 2023.

Medicago is currently developing a vaccine for SARS-CoV-2 which has successfully induced a positive antibody response in mouse models. Human clinical trials are expected to begin in summer of 2020. 

Thermo Fisher Scientific is planning to build a $180 million viral vector development and manufacturing facility in Plainville, Mass. Featuring flexible and scalable production suites, the 290,000-sf structure will leverage advanced digital technologies to enhance operational efficiencies.

Biogen completed construction in late spring of 2020 on a leading-edge biologics manufacturing center in Luterbach, Switzerland. Representing an investment of $1.5 billion, the modular and flexible facility leverages Biogen’s latest strategies for fed-batch cell culture technologies and protein purification processes. Offering two cell manufacturing lines, the 260,000-sf complex features two production buildings, each housing four 15,000-liter bioreactors. The campus also provides laboratories, offices, maintenance buildings, and a warehouse.

The Vaccines Manufacturing Innovation Centre (VIMC) is being constructed on an accelerated schedule in Oxford in the United Kingdom. Ground was broken on the £66 million project in April of 2020 and occupancy is expected in 2021, a year earlier than previously planned.

Novo Nordisk completed a $5.1 million tenant renovation and expansion project in March of 2020 in Fremont, Calif. In just four months, MAI Construction remodeled the subleased 44,000-sf facility to provide Asterias Biotherapeutics with leading-edge research, production, and office spaces to support the creation of innovative stem cell therapies. The four-phase project included the construction of new cGMP Grade B manufacturing labs, as well as a materials lift and canopy for the area's shipping and receiving area.

The International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering has announced the 2020 Facility of the Year Awards category winners. The awards include:

VACUUBRAND is offering continuing education courses approved by the American Institute of Architects and Green Business Certification Inc. Providing engineers and designers with the skills to create sustainable, high-performance laboratories, each course is available as a general webinar, a private webinar, or as an on-demand learning experience. AIA members will receive one LU/HSW (Health-Safety-Welfare learning unit) for each one-hour course.