Shanghai-based medical technology provider WuXi AppTec said last week it is building a $120 million "biologics solution center" at the company's headquarters to speed the development of biologic drugs.
The 250,000-square-foot facility will employ 800 researchers and should be operational by 2017, the company said in a release, adding that it will "provide integrated solutions from ideas to the clinic for biologics discovery, development and clinical manufacturing on a consolidated campus."
The company said the center will use its "OmniRat platform with Open Monoclonal Technology and use in-house phage display libraries to allow its clients to discover conventional mAbs, bispecific mAbs and anti-body drug conjugates." The new center will use "WuXi's proprietary CHO cell line platform to develop robust fed-batch and perfusion processes to meet demanding processing needs," the release stated.
WuXi CEO Ge Li |
"We are very pleased to continue to invest in our biologics capabilities and expand our capacities to support the ambitious plans of our global clients," WuXi CEO Ge Li said in a statement. "Through this investment, WuXi will further strengthen its position as a global leader in biologics R&D, offering a truly unique integrated solution."
Back in May, WuXi started work on another $150 million facility for its biologics unit that it plans to use for mammalian cell cultures using disposable bioreactors.
As FiercePharmaAsia reported in May 2015, the company spent a year expanding from lab, contract research and manufacturing services into genomics, e-commerce and clinical screening testing.
- here's the release
EJ Lane contributed to this report.