CDMO FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies (FDB) is expanded its gene therapy services with the addition of dedicated process and analytical development laboratories. As a part of a capital investment of approximately 13 billion yen (approx. $120 million) in the gene therapy field by FUJIFILM Corp., an investment of approximately $55 million will be made to establish a new Gene Therapy Innovation Center adjacent to FDB’s existing cGMP gene therapy manufacturing facility in College Station, TX. It will form part of the company’s strategy to meet the growing demands in the viral gene therapy market, which some estimates put its potential growth for CDMOs to $1.7 billion by 2025.
The Gene Therapy Innovation Center will be approximately 60,000 square feet and will house upstream, downstream, and analytical development technologies. The facility will be operational in the fall of 2021, according to FUJIFILM.
“We are very much aware of the incredible growth in such an important therapeutic space,” said Martin Meeson, president and COO of FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies, US. “We know that we need to invest now, in technology, assets and people in order to achieve a market leadership position. The expansion through the construction of the Gene Therapy Innovation Center demonstrates our ongoing commitment for growth.”
FDB’s main goals behind this new strategy are to provide end-to-end gene therapy solutions, from preclinical to commercial launch. This follows an earlier announcement made by FDB to introduce its gene therapy fill finish services. “We expect to break ground in the first quarter of 2020,” said Gerry Farrell, COO at FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies, Texas, “and this new facility will triple our gene therapy development capabilities and will add approximately 100 jobs to our Texas Campus.”
