Genezen delivers next phase of cGMP lentiviral and retroviral vector production facility expansion
Genezen, a cell and gene therapy Contract
Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) specializing in lentiviral and
retroviral vector manufacturing, has completed another expansion phase at its viral
vector process development and cGMP vector production facility in Fishers, Indiana
(US).
In response to increased lentiviral and retroviral GMP vector demand, the latest
phase of the buildout sees additional process development, analytical development,
and quality control labs as well as GMP cell banking and GMP vector manufacturing
suites with an expanded GMP warehouse at the facility.
The latest phase of the expansion was officially opened by Indiana’s Governor Eric
Holcomb and Fishers’ Mayor Scott Fadness on September 29th, who were on site to
view the new facility with the Genezen team.
Raymond Kaczmarek, Chief Executive Officer at Genezen, commented:”We are
excited to officially open our GMP manufacturing facility in Fishers, IN. We look
forward to providing our current and future partners with high quality viral vector
material in support of their upcoming clinical trials.
“As we open this phase, we reflect on the support from our state and local
communities as well as support from our financial partners and our clients. Today’s
facility opening represents the start of the next chapter in the story of Genezen. I
am proud to see our team members embrace this opportunity to be a part of curing
the world one patient at a time.”
The continued investment into the Fishers facility allows Genezen to increase
delivery of cGMP lentiviral and retroviral vectors from adherent and suspension
processes supporting both transient transfection and producer cell line vector
manufacturing platforms. This capacity also expands Genezen’s current cGMP
capabilities for host cell expansion and host cell banking.
Bill Vincent, Founder and Executive Chairman at Genezen, commented: “With our
expansion, we’re excited to have available capacity given the high demand from
clients wanting early-stage expertise paired with scalable manufacturing process
and analytical development support, for both retro- and lentiviral vectors.
“In line with our growth strategy, planning and design are underway for our next
phase of expansion. We will continue to liaise with existing and prospective clients
to ensure we are meeting their future needs.”
The construction of the new facility was funded by a majority investment from
Ampersand Capital Partners, a private equity firm specializing in growth equity
investments in the healthcare sector.