Just Biotherapeutics along with its affiliated company, Hangzhou Just Biotherapeutics, and G-CON Manufacturing are working together on a biologics facility in the Hangzhou Economic and Technology Development Area (HEDA) of China.
Currently under construction, the cGMP facility is expected to be completed and operational in early 2018.
This will be the first commercial facility for the biotherapeutics company, which was formed to significantly reduce the cost of biologics to make them more accessible to a global population.
In support of that goal, Just's China plant employs a flexible, rapidly deployable and efficient design that creates a new standard for bioprocessing industry facilities.
A key feature in the plant will be the use of G-CON prefabricated cleanroom PODs. In this application the G-CON PODs, which G-CON refers to as J.Pods, are fully equipped processing units capable of running highly intensified bioprocesses.
G-CON will simultaneously build multiple PODs in the US in parallel with construction of the host facility in Hangzhou, to significantly reduce the overall project timeline and facility readiness.
Off-site pre-qualification will help shorten on-site qualification work once the J.Pods arrive in Hangzhou. Additional PODs can be quickly deployed, redeployed or repurposed to meet increasing product demand or flexibility requirements.
The PODs will also feature AES’s Pharma Wall System, an aluminum framed, non-combustible composite panel, featuring a uPVC finish. Such panels will provide a interior finish that does not absorb moisture and is impact resistant. This project will be the first time that G-CON and AES have provided a joint solution since the announcement of their collaboration in April 2016.
Maik Jornitz, CEO and President of G-CON Manufacturing, said: “We are seeing that our flexible, compact PODular cleanroom systems are becoming an attractive and cost efficient alternative for the industry, compared to traditional brick and mortar or stick built systems."
Jim Thomas, President and CEO of Just Biotherapeutics, said: “Utilising G-CON’s POD technology enables our mission of increasing access to important biologics worldwide. By creating J.Pods we focus our molecular and process technologies into an efficient, integrated design that enables low cost, flexible manufacturing.”
“J.Pod represents the next-generation smart manufacturing platform, providing unique advantages in fast-growing markets like China. Our aspiration is to become an innovation leader and by working with G-CON we are confident that we will deliver high quality and affordable biologics to more patients worldwide,” added Yining Zhao, CEO of Just China.
Just Biotherapeutics of College Station, TX, US, is a design company focused on technologies that accelerate development of biotherapeutics and substantially reduce manufacturing costs. Its core strengths are molecular design, process and product design and manufacturing plant design.
