MaSTherCell, a dedicated cell and gene therapy contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO), has leased a 61,354ft facility in Gosselies Biopark, Brussels.
The site will be used for the production of late-stage clinical and commercial cell and gene therapy products, with the site expected to be operational in early 2021.
In addition to the scale of the facility, which will create several hundred jobs, MaSTherCell noted that it will also hold Industry 4.0 technology – such as “software integration, intelligent equipment, and integrated processes.”
CEO of MaSTherCell, Denis Bedoret, stated that the site will play a role in “solving the current lack of commercial manufacturing capabilities in Europe.”
With a number of cell and gene therapies currently in the pipeline, preparing for the commercial assets that will emerge by increasing capacity is in-step with other manufacturing organisations and companies across Europe.
“With this new site, we aim to be the first CDMO in Europe to have a dedicated area for large-scale commercial manufacturing,” Bedoret added.
As a result, MaSTherCell will refocus its existing infrastructure on earlier stage clinical production. The choice to lease a facility in Gosselies Biopark adds to the capabilities the company already has in the location, which held a facility in the location when Orgenesis bought MaSTherCell in 2015.
“It was natural for us to set up this state-of-the-art plant in the Gosselies Biopark. Not only will we remain close to our current site and centre of excellence, but also because operating in this world-leading biotechnology cluster will enable us to benefit from a first-class environment in terms of skills, people and know-how,” explained Eric Mathieu, COO of MaSTherCell.
