TC BioPharm completes construction of its Clinical Manufacturing Facility
Two cleanrooms and office facilities have been built at Maxim Park, Glasgow
Scotland-based biotechnology company TC BioPharm (TCB) has completed construction of its new clinical manufacturing facility in Glasgow. The construction, which was completed in just 12 weeks, brings TCB one step closer to treating cancer patients during 2015.
Following initial funding from Japanese immuno-cell therapy company Medinet and Scottish investors, the Scottish Investment Bank provided additional seed funds of £250,000 to enable TCB to build these state-of-the-art cleanroom facilities and offices at Maxim Park, Glasgow.
The facility, which has been constructed to comply with UK GMP regulations, comprises offices, two cleanrooms, quality control suites and development laboratories. The total footprint is 5,000ft2 (465m2), of which 3,500ft2 (325m2) will support manufacture of clinical grade product.
TCB is collaborating with Medinet to develop a technology that uses a patient’s own immune cells to target cancer and plans to treat its first patients next year, working alongside established cancer clinics in Glasgow, Southampton and Birmingham. The initial target indication is melanoma.
The next step for TCB is to get an IMP (Investigational Medicinal Product) licence from the UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) before clinical product can be made.
‘The team at TC BioPharm has done an amazing job building and commissioning our GMP cleanrooms here in Glasgow,' said Angela Scott, TC BioPharm’s Operations Director.
'All our efforts are now focused on meeting UK regulations prior to MHRA inspection of the facility in November.'
Paul Lewis, Managing Director of Operations at Scottish Enterprise, added: ‘Congratulations to the team at TC BioPharm for establishing this new facility in such a short space of time. This is an exciting milestone for the company and is a great example of the ongoing international collaboration we have with Japan. Scottish Enterprise looks forward to continuing to work with TC BioPharm to help realise its ambitious growth plans.’