Bayer has inaugurated a $250 million cell therapy manufacturing facility in Berkeley, California, the company announced this week.
The new Cell Therapy Launch Facility is one of Bayer's recent investments in its biologic pipeline of protein therapeutics, cell and gene therapies. The facility features flexible, modular space for cell culture, viral transduction and automated filling of cell therapies.
The plant will also support clinical trials and potential commercial launches of BlueRock Therapeutics' bemdaneprocel (BRT-DA01), an innovative cell therapy for Parkinson's disease. The drug is aimed at replacing dopamine-producing neurons lost in Parkinson's disease and is derived from pluripotent stem cells. BlueRock Therapeutics, which became a subsidiary of Bayer through a 2019 acquisition, plans to initiate phase 2 studies for the therapy in the first half of 2024.
The new facility will also support the future production of additional cell therapies as Bayer’s cell therapy portfolio advances.
The facility is a significant part of Bayer's ongoing transformation of its Berkeley biotechnology site, where the company has invested around $500 million in the last five years.
