Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies’ Opens New Manufacturing Facility

Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies has formally opened its new mammalian cell culture cGMP manufacturing facility at a ceremony performed by HRH The Duke of Gloucester KG GCVO, a member of the UK Royal Family.

The new facility, which has been built and commissioned in under 15 months, is the first facility of its kind in the UK, being purpose-built to utilise primarily single-use technologies for both upstream and downstream operations. Designed with input from regulatory authorities and key customers, it will offer high flexibility for meeting customers’ needs. It has initially been commissioned with 200-L and 1000-L bioreactors, with a 2000-L bioreactor already planned for 2014. The facility has been designed for rapid further expansion to meet customer demand. The company is already working on its first customer project for the facility.

This new capacity is the latest in a series of investments at both Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies’ UK and Research Triangle Park, NC, USA facilities totalling £30 million during the last 2 years. New cell line development and process development laboratories have been set up at both sites, and a 1000-L single-use bioreactor was installed at the RTP facility 2 years ago to supplement its 2000-L stainless steel train for the GMP production of mammalian cell culture biopharmaceuticals.

Steve Bagshaw, Managing Director of Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies UK Limited said: “I am delighted that we have been able to build and commission our new GMP mammalian cell culture manufacturing facility in such a short time frame. This new capacity, using the latest single-use technologies, provides our customers with a full life-cycle offering for mammalian cell culture biopharmaceuticals from our UK site, and complements our offering in microbial-based biologics. It reinforces Fujifilm’s commitment to lead the global Biologics CMO industry through continuous innovation and implementation of new technologies.”