Cytiva is opening a 7400 sqm manufacturing facility in Grens, Switzerland on May 31, 2022. The site will manufacture single use kits for the company’s Sepax and Sefia cell processing systems, as well as consumables for its Xuri cell expansion systems.
It will also serve as a hub for Cytiva’s cell and gene therapy business and a base for European customer training programmes. The site will employ 250 associates.
The facility will quadruple the company’s capacity for manufacturing consumable products with two ISO class 7 cleanrooms, helping it address future demand. GMP principles are adhered to, from raw materials entering the building, through the manufacturing process, to the shipment of finished products.
The site has been built to Swiss Minergie standards, a sustainable building standard focused on lower energy and resource consumption. Building to this standard reportedly ensures air-tight building envelopes and the continuous renewal of air in the building using an energy-efficient ventilation system.
An R&D facility is located on the first floor, consisting of several laboratories designed for multidisciplinary engineering and cell biology processing capabilities. The customer training centre, located on the second floor, is a 100 sqm BSL2 laboratory that will enable process and application training with the company’s instruments, consumables, and software. Employees will also be able to use this facility to develop skills with current and future products.
Catarina Flyborg, VP, Cell and Gene Therapy, Cytiva said: “Cell and gene therapies have the potential to change the global healthcare landscape. Our new facility in Grens will enable us to meet global demand for our products, while working with our customers to meet their immediate training and development needs. This facility brings us another step closer to our vision where access to life-changing therapies transforms human health.”
Philippe Leuba, Minister of Economic Affairs, Innovation and Sport, State of Vaud, Switzerland, said: “Cytiva is one of the world’s leading life sciences companies. Its decision to expand operations in Switzerland is a testament to our innovation ecosystem that has played a significant role in developing some of the most advanced therapeutics.”
The existing site in Eysins will continue operations through 2023, while full production transfers to the site in Grens.