Matica Biotechnology, a contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO) specialising in the clinical and commercial production of cell and gene therapies, broke ground today on its new 25,000 sqft facility, which will house its GMP virus production suites, development laboratories and company offices.
"The global demand for virus products continues to outpace the capacity for production under the stringent Good Manufacturing Practices or GMPs required by regulatory agencies for human use", said CEO, Dr Byung Se So. "Our new facility will help to close that gap by establishing state-of-the-art, modular virus production cleanrooms integrated with the latest vector technologies to maximise speed, flexibility and efficiency throughout our clients' product development cycle."
We are planning on utilising state-of-the-art equipment, processes, and materials to be in a new class of CDMOs
So continued: "The Brazos Valley area, including College Station, is rapidly becoming one of the most important centres of biotechnology in the country, and it was an easy decision for our company to locate here. The availability of a skilled workforce along with the influence of the Texas A&M University System, will support the level of rapid job growth that we expect throughout the next few years."
Timothy Lutz, Matica Bio's Chief Manufacturing Officer, explained: "Matica Biotechnology is excited to be setting up our operations here in College Station. We look to being an active part of our community and are excited to hire a number of local professionals, both for the construction as well as the operational phases. We are planning on utilising state-of-the-art equipment, processes, and materials to be in a new class of CDMO's."
Matica Bio is an affiliate of South Korea company, CHA Biotech. Brazos Valley Economic Development Corporation President/CEO, Matt Prochaska, said: "A hallmark of our region is its legacy of solving problems facing the world, and Matica Bio's arrival advances that again. Working with their team in the US and South Korea has been a pleasure, and we offer the resources and expertise of our community to help them succeed and grow."
Matica Bio's GMP facility is scheduled to open in Q3 2021 utilising a bioreactor-based platform, with access to GMP production slots beginning in early 2022.