Aldevron will begin construction in August of 2019 on a 14-acre biologics campus in Fargo, N.D., where it is currently headquartered. The first phase comprises a two-story, 189,000-sf facility for the manufacture of plasmid DNA, proteins, mRNA, and antibodies. Increasing Aldevron’s GMP and GMP-Source™ production capacity up to tenfold, the structure will connect to the company's existing GMP facility and is expected to be fully operational by early 2021.
WuXi Biologics began construction in May of 2019 on a $365 million pharmaceutical production facility in Dundalk, Ireland. Sited on 52 acres, the 522,000-sf contract manufacturing center will utilize single-use technologies and processes, enabling cost-effective scale-out and the simultaneous production of multiple batches of varying volumes. Commercial operations are expected to begin in 2022 at the site, which will be the company's first manufacturing plant outside of China.
Iovance Biotherapeutics entered into a lease agreement in May of 2019 to construct a 136,000-sf facility at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. Featuring modular processes for optimal scalability, the building will support commercial and clinical production of therapeutics based on tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) technologies. The $125 million facility is slated for completion in mid-2021. Iovance will contribute approximately $75 million towards the cost of the building over three years for equipment and construction of the manufacturing suites.
Chugai Pharmaceuticals will begin construction in August of 2019 on a $1.15 billion research and development center in Yokohama, Japan. Consolidating two labs currently sited in Gotemba and Kamakura, the facility will support drug discovery including the creation of therapies based on next-generation antibodies and synthetic macrocycles, also known as middle molecules. The pharmaceutical research center will leverage leading-edge automation processes and artificial intelligence technologies to accelerate the delivery of innovative medicines to patients worldwide.
WuXi Biologics began construction in May of 2019 on a 1.3 million-sf integrated manufacturing center in Chengdu, China. Meeting the criteria of both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency's GMP guidelines, the biologics hub will include both drug development and commercial manufacturing facilities. Offering an initial bioreactor capacity of 48,000 liters, the project is WuXi's twelfth drug substance manufacturing plant and will use the company's open-access and proprietary platforms.
The University of Massachusetts Lowell celebrated the reopening of Perry Hall in April of 2019. Providing teaching and research labs, classrooms, collaboration areas, and space for industry partnerships, the $50 million project included the redevelopment of 47,825 sf of interior space and the addition of 5,600 sf on the fourth floor, which now connects to Ball Hall.
Biotechpharma UAB is initiating an expansion of its existing manufacturing campus in Vilnius, Lithuania. The $56 million project includes construction of a leading-edge process development lab and the installation of a new line of bioreactors for microbial fermentation at the 5,000-liter scale. Flexible facility design will also allow for increased mammalian cell culture production capacities.
Kite Pharma is planning to build a biopharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Frederick, Md. Located on a 20-acre site at the Urbana Corporate Center, the project will provide 217,000 sf of manufacturing and support space for the production of chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR T) cell therapies as well as investigational T cell receptor (TCR) cell therapies being evaluated in solid tumors. The facility will also include 62,000 sf of office space. Occupancy is expected in 2021. Kite is a subsidiary of Gilead Sciences.
Cambrex Corporation completed construction in April of 2019 on a $24 million facility for the manufacture of highly potent active pharmaceutical ingredients (HPAPIs) in Charles City, Iowa. The 6,000-sf project houses four reactors with capacities ranging from 200 to 1,000 gallons to accommodate batches from 50 to 300 kilograms. An existing small scale manufacturing area has also been reconfigured.
The International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering has announced the winners of the 2019 Facility of the Year Awards.
ONE Life Sciences is planning to construct the £40 million Bio-Therapeutics Hub for Innovation in Aberdeen in the United Kingdom. Located on the Foresterhill Health Campus, the 69,000-sf facility will provide business incubation space, leasable labs and offices for established companies, collaboration areas, conference rooms, and venues for events and colloquia.
Bluebird Bio opened a 125,000-sf gene and cell therapy manufacturing facility in March of 2019 in Durham, N.C. Representing an $80 million investment, the project is bluebird's first wholly owned facility and will support the production of lentiviral vector for clinical and commercial applications. The building, which is now substantially complete and undergoing equipment commissioning, provides multiple manufacturing suites, quality-control testing labs, and warehouse space.
Merck opened the first M Lab™ Collaboration Center in Europe in March of 2019. Located in Molsheim, France, the facility provides biopharmaceutical customers with a shared, exploratory environment where they can work with Merck scientists and engineers to accelerate the manufacture of new therapies. The 43,000-sf facility offers advanced simulation technologies in a non-GMP environment for end-to-end process development from pre-clinical through full-scale production.
Cellectis entered into a lease agreement in March of 2019 to build the Innovative Manufacturing Plant for Allogeneic Cellular Therapies (IMPACT) in Raleigh, N.C. Designed by Laporte Euro, the facility will produce immunotherapies based on gene-edited allogeneic CAR T-cells (UCART). Colliers International assisted in the real estate transaction. In addition, Cellectis is building a 14,000-sf manufacturing facility in Paris.
Autolus Therapeutics has signed a long-term, full-building lease with Alexandria Real Estate Equities for the construction and development of a build-to-suit facility in Rockville, Md. Located in the Shady Grove Life Sciences Center, the 85,000-sf project will accommodate the company's U.S. headquarters and a commercial-scale manufacturing center for cell therapies. Occupancy is expected in 2021.
