ACF bioanalytical plant opens as cell and gene therapies reach ‘tipping point’
Parent company Absorption System’s Chris Bode told us the 2,400 sq. ft. site will also offer biological testing capabilities.
“We anticipate that a good portion of the site will be utilised solely for gene and cell therapies. But our core business is expanding into the emerging category of GMP biological testing, which also includes the area of non-clinical equivalence testing for small molecules.”
“We will use the facility to continue to expand our in vitro expertise to replace certain types of clinical equivalence testing for small and large molecules,” he told us.
According to Bode, the GMP-compliant facility was built in anticipation of client demand.
“We had conducted studies in the gene and cell therapy space for existing clients, and in order to stay in touch with these projects as they progressed further into clinical trials we needed a cGMP facility,” he said.
“As we explored our options, we came to the realisation that gene and cell therapies had reached a tipping point and were coming of commercial age, so to speak. Our competitive intelligence provided further evidence of commercial need for such a facility,” he added.
Bode said the facility – which cost ACF Bioservices $2m (€1.7) – will attract new business.
“The complex nature of these new therapeutics (cells and genes) is pushing the limits of our historical approaches to understanding product performance,” he explained.
The company the opening of the facility will create 15 jobs in the next 12-18 months.
