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CHA Bio breaks ground on new cell and gene facility

Published: 30 Mar. 2022, 17:44

Representatives from CHA Medical & Bio Group hold shovels during a groundbreaking ceremony for a cell and gene therapy manufacturing facility in Pangyo, Gyeonggi, Wednesday. [CHA MEDICAL & BIO GROUP]

Ground was broken Wednesday for a cell and gene treatment manufacturing facility in Pangyo, Gyeonggi, which is being built by CHA Medical & Bio Group.

The 10-story building with four basement floors will have a contract and development manufacturing organization (CDMO) facility for cell and gene therapy and a storage facility for stem cells. The company is spending over $250 million in the 66,115-square-meter (711,656-square-foot) building.

The company is calling the facility Cell Gene Biobank. The construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2024.

The CDMO facility is highly efficient, the company said, as it is capable of producing cell and gene treatment, mRNA, or messenger ribonucleic acid, viral vectors, and plasmid DNA at the same time. It will meet cGMP (Current Good Manufacturing Practice) regulations, which are enforced by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The storage facility, which the company calls a stem cell biobank, can save all kinds of human cells such as stem cells, blood, ova and sperm.

“Cell and gene therapy development and production require extensive expertise and highly specialized equipment when compared to other biologics with more established manufacturing processes, such as antibodies,” said Dr. Cha Kwang-yul, the global research and innovation leader at CHA Medical & Bio Group.

He added, “We believe that this facility will function as the leading cell and gene therapy manufacturing hub in Asia, incorporating CHA Biotech’s long history and in-depth knowledge of cell therapy R&D and manufacturing process technology.”