Biotech firm Expression Therapeutics has celebrated the opening of its state-of-the-art 43,000 sqft cell and viral vector manufacturing facility in Ohio. The buildout included an open warehouse structure that includes office, laboratory and storage space, whilst also housing ISO Class 7 cleanrooms.
Expression's manufacturing subsidiary, Expression Manufacturing, provides end-to-end research and development capabilities and early phase and commercial-scale manufacturing of both GMP cell and viral vector products. The facility manufactures lentiviral (LV) and adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors.
Messer Construction and CBRE Heery were key contractors brought on board for the design and build aspects of the facility. Messer Construction was the Construction Manager for the project, with CBRE Heery taking on the role of Architect, Mechanical Engineer, and Structural Engineer.
Time is money
Modular PODs were used by Messer in the build, which were constructed offsite for the facility's cleanroom. This was in order to accelerate the build's timeline.
Messer also used Building Information Modeling (BIM) that enabled the team to virtually model the mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems prior to construction, ultimately reducing cost and ensuring the reliability of the construction schedule.
In a look back at the project, Messer stated: "The project began during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when material lead times and costs were rapidly increasing. Despite these challenges, Messer delivered the project on time and within budget."
"With GMP vector manufacturing backlogs typically exceeding 18 months, we wanted to bring in-house manufacturing capabilities online and provide CDMO services to commercial clients as soon as possible," said Bill Swaney, President of Expression Manufacturing. "The opening of the facility allows us to immediately support our internal therapeutic pipeline in haematology and oncology. In fact, we just completed three full-scale engineering runs for our lead cell therapy product ET206, which is intended to treat Neuroblastoma."