Page 159 - CW E-Magazine (8-7-2025)

News from Abroad

rial handling for single-use bag manu- The facility will be fully operational houses product development labs for
facturing. The new 12,000-square- by fall 2025. fluid management and cell culture
meter high-bay warehouse is optimised technologies, as well as application
for efficient processing of pallets. The expanded site also includes a labs for customer demos and training.
Autonomous forklifts and mobile ro- new 1,900-square-metre cross-func- It was opened in early 2024. The
bots streamline operations utilising a tional lab space, designed to extend total area of the premises has quadru-
‘goods-to-person’ approach, enabling collaboration between internal teams pled to around 90,000 square metres
operators to focus on specialized work. and external partners. The facility since 2020.
EXPANDING FOOTPRINT
AGC Biologics expands cell therapy development

operations to Asia

AGC Biologics, the CDMO (Con-
tract Development and Manufacturing
Organisation) belonging to Japan’s
AGC group, will commence cell the-
rapy process development and clinical
manufacturing services on July 1, 2025,
at AGC’s Yokohama Technical Centre,
marking the latest step in the expansion
of the company’s Global Cell and Gene
Technologies Division.

The improved geographical foot-
print allows AGC Biologics to better
serve customers requiring autologous
and allogeneic products across all
markets, with cell therapy manufactur-
ing now available in three continents
(Milan, Italy; Longmont, Colorado, bilities in materials science, chemical of high volatility and witnessing conso-
US; and Yokohama, Japan). processes, and biotechnology. lidation of CDMOs, AGC Biologics
is among the few experiencing signifi-
This new site precedes the opening The Yokohama location will pro- cant growth and success. We are now
of a new AGC Biologics Yokohama vide process transfer and manufactur- building on this success to complete
manufacturing facility on schedule to ing services for pre-clinical and clinical the vision of having a truly global
be operational in 2027 with pre-clinical trials to serve an expanding global cell offering,” said Luca Alberici, Executive
through commercial services for mam- therapy market. Its core technologies Vice President of Global Cell and Gene
malian-based protein biologics, cell include induced pluripotent stem cells, Technologies at AGC Biologics.
therapies, and messenger RNA. mesenchymal stem cells, hematopoietic
stem cells, and CAR-T cell therapies. “Now Asian developers can benefit
AGC Biologics is a part of AGC’s from having a local supply within one
Life Science Company, which operates AGC Biologics Cell and Gene of the best global infrastructures on
over 10 facilities worldwide focused Technology Centre of Excellence in the market for cell therapy. Moreover,
on biopharmaceuticals, advanced ther- Milan, with its nine product approvals customers can continue to leverage the
apies, small molecule active pharma- by the EMA and FDA, will support and offering of viral vector central supply
ceutical ingredients, and agrochemicals. enable the successful ramp up of opera- in our Milan facility, which supplies
The AGC Yokohama Technical Centre, tion in the new Yokohama site. around a third of the ex vivo gene
built in 2020, is dedicated to advancing therapy product approved for commerciali-
AGC’s research and development capa- “In a cell and gene therapy market sation,” he added.

Chemical Weekly July 8, 2025 159

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