Organogenesis to build ‘largest automated living cell facility’
pharmafile | April 19, 2011 | News story | Manufacturing and Production |Â Â Cell biology, Organogenesis, pharma manufacturingÂ
Regenerative medicine specialist Organogenesis has started construction of an automated manufacturing facility for human cells, which it claims will be the largest of its type in the world.
Set for completion in 2013, the new facility will be located on Organogenesis main campus and global headquarters in Canton, Massachusetts.
An investment programme of around $63 million will fund not only the production units, but also the expansion of R&D and office space at the site.
Organogenesis was spun out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the mid-1980s with the aim of developing human cell-based therapies, winning approval for its first product – Apligraf for venous leg ulcers – in 1998.
Apligraf remains the company’s primary product, with additional approval to treat diabetic foot ulcers and new registrations in Europe and elsewhere around the world in the last five years. It brought in the bulk of the firm’s $100 million in revenues in 2010.
The new facility will make use of “advanced robotic and modular manufacturing technologies”, according to Organogenesis. Meanwhile, the company has also bought a 78,000 sq.ft. building near to the new facility which will in part be used to provide warehousing and storage, as well as additional office space.
Organogenesis president and chief executive Geoff MacKay said: “We’re growing in Massachusetts in size, in revenue and capacity; and in order to keep pace with our rapid growth, we’re hiring across all departments.”
The plans will add 17 new jobs this year, rising to 280 by the time the plant opens in 2013. At the moment the company employs around 470 people.
The project is supported by almost $13 million in state-level funding, including grants and tax credits, as well as another $5 million in low-interest loans. The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center has also provided another $7.4 million in funding to help support the expansion.
SMMA/Symmes Maini & McKee Associates has been selected as the architect for the project while CRB Consulting Engineers will serve as the primary contractor for the build.
Phil Taylor
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