Brammer Bio shares progress on $200m gene therapy programme
The viral vector contract development and manufacturing organisation will establish more than 30 suites for clinical and commercial viral vector supplies
Brammer Bio, a viral vector contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO), has announced that a 3 year, $200 million investment programme is on track to establish more than 30 suites for clinical and commercial viral vector supply for a broad pipeline of advanced gene therapies and gene-modified cell therapies.
“Brammer’s vision is to enable innovators to bring these advanced medicines to patients. We are committed to continuing our investment in our world-class team and facilities for manufacturing gene therapies,” said Brammer Bio President and CEO Mark Bamforth.
“Brammer is uniquely positioned to support the dramatic growth of the gene and cell therapy sector through the application of our team’s deep technical and operational experience in developing and manufacturing gene therapies and gene-modified cell therapies.”
At its Alachua, Fla. facilities, Brammer is building on a 12 plus year track record of supplying first-in-human clinical materials by expanding its process and analytical development laboratories and quality control laboratories by the end of 2018.
This expansion follows a doubling of its clinical capacity in Alachua in 2017. The site incorporates equipment and design concepts that are setting the standard for process and analytical development for clinical trials and ultimately commercial scale manufacturing. More than 220 Alachua-based skilled staff occupy a three-building campus totaling 80,000 ft2.
Brammer is conducting a further expansion of its first commercial facility, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, increasing the number of commercial suites from 7 to 12, supporting up to 2000 litre suspension and adherent processes.
Construction of this additional capacity will be completed in the first half of 2019. Brammer acquired its Cambridge facility, as well as a distribution center in Somerville, Massachusetts, from Biogen in January 2017.
These facilities are operated by a talented team of more than 250, executing adherent and suspension processes to produce multiple vector products in support of late-stage clinical programmes leading to commercial supply.
In Lexington, Massachusetts, Brammer is renovating a 50,000 ft2 facility as its second commercial facility for adherent processes using the Pall iCELLis 500 platform. Construction will be completed in the first half of 2019.
By mid-2019, Brammer will have 700 employees focused solely on providing viral vector products to multiple clients, an increase from its current staff of 500. The company has more than doubled its staff in the past year.