KFSHRC and Germfree to launch first modular ATMP manufacturing campus in Saudi Arabia
Ella Day | June 19, 2025 | News story | Medical Communications, Research and Development | Advanced Therapy Medicinal Product manufacturing, BIO 2025, Corporate, King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre, Saudi Arabia, biotechnology development, cell therapies, gene therapies
King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre (KFSHRC) has announced a landmark partnership with Germfree Laboratories to develop Saudi Arabia’s first fully integrated modular advanced therapy medicinal product (ATMP) manufacturing campus. Unveiled at BIO 2025 in Boston, US, the facility will be located on KFSHRC’s Riyadh campus and marks a major milestone in the country’s National Biotechnology Strategy and Vision 2030.
The campus will fast-track Saudi Arabia’s capacity to produce cell and gene therapies, host international clinical trials and attract global pharmaceutical partners and scientific talent. It will be delivered as a modular, CGMP-compliant facility, featuring Germfree’s BioGO Box cleanroom system and 16 prefabricated production suites for clinical and commercial manufacturing.
“We are creating a world-class advanced therapies campus that will accelerate access to transformative treatments,” said Majid bin Ibrahim Al Fayyadh, CEO of KFSHRC.
Germfree CEO, Kevin Kyle, added: “Together, we are building… a turnkey, scalable platform for discovery and delivery of curative therapies for the people of Saudi Arabia, the Middle East and beyond.”
The project is expected to reach operational readiness within 18 months of contract signing – about half the time of conventional builds. Designed to meet regulatory requirements from the SFDA, FDA, EMA, and BMBL, the facility will feature a fully integrated digital manufacturing platform.
This initiative directly supports Saudi Arabia’s ambition to become a global biotechnology hub by 2040.
Ella Day
19/6/25
Related Content
Merck to acquire Mirus Bio for $600m
Merck has announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Mirus Bio for …
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation sets up new halal pharmaceuticals technical committee
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) standards body, the Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic …
Bayer buys BlueRock Therapeutics for $600 million
Bayer has entered into an agreement to fully acquire engineered cell therapy firm BlueRock Therapeutics …
