ARMI has acquired the $23m building through its founder and plans to expand in order to achieve the nonprofit's goal of large-scale manufacturing of human cells, tissues and organs
The Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute has announced plans for a major expansion to biomanufacturing space in a conversation with Jon Phelps from The New Hampshire Union Leader.
ARMI was founded in 2016 with the goal of large-scale manufacturing of human cells, tissues and organs. Then in 2022, the nonprofit opened BioFabFoundries, a 25,000 sqft space with clean labs. This space is now at capacity, so the nonprofit founder has purchased a new building in order to create the space for growth into more advanced clinical trials and commercial biomanufacturing.
Original plans, which saw ARMI build new lab space at the site of the National Guard Armory, fell through. In the end, Founder and American engineer, Dean Kamen, purchased 150 Dow St in Southern New Hampshire.
[Existing] cleanrooms are perfect for development and the early phase clinical trial. We are still in the process of designing the new space.
- Deputy Executive Director Maureen Toohey
Looking at the BioFabFoundries facility, Kamen and Deputy Executive Director Maureen Toohey, were impressed. "These cleanrooms are perfect for development and the early phase clinical trial," Toohey said. "We are still in the process of designing the new space."
Kamen explained that approximately a quarter of the building (around 100,000 sqft) will be converted into biomanufacturing space and a training facility. Previously the building had been owned by internet performance company Dyn.
The plans for 150 Dow include building 80,254 sqft across two floors for cleanrooms and labs for biomanufacturing, which is expected to cost $31.2m. The facility will also have space for contract manufacturing organisations, which work with companies on smaller-scale trials. These companies also will branch out and open their own facilities, much like Silicon Valley or other industry-specific regions of the country.
Mike Decelle, Chief Workforce Officer at ARMI and Dean at the University of New Hampshire Manchester, told Phelps that UNH and Southern New Hampshire University are working on creating workforce programmes to support this new build.
