GeneFab, a newly formed contract research, development and manufacturing organization focused on cell and gene therapies, inked a deal to sublease Senti Biosciences’ production facility and pay up to $38 million for the biotech's manufacturing equipment.
GeneFab, which was formed this year with backing from Celadon Partners, will operate out of Senti Bio’s 92,000-square-foot facility in Alameda, California.
The site features 42,000 square feet dedicated to producing phase 1 and phase 2 clinical trial materials, GeneFab said in a recent release. The site also supports the manufacture of cell and gene therapies.
Additionally, Senti Bio’s co-founder and chief technology officer, Philip Lee, has been named GeneFab’s chief executive. Lee is departing Senti Bio to take up the CEO post at GeneFab, the company said.
The site will employ about 50 workers, including experts in cell therapy, manufacturing and synthetic biology. As part of a service contract, GeneFab will support Senti Bio’s chimeric antigen receptor natural killer cell pipeline.
Senti Bio, which is a previous Fierce 15 winner, uses “gene circuits” to tweak a cell’s genetic code that can morph in order to address the severity of a disease, all while aiming to limit side effects.