Yesterday we celebrated the opening of our new GMP manufacturing facility, located adjacent to our pilot plant in South Brunswick. All employees were invited to join us at the Princeton Corporate Center in Monmouth Junction to be part of the ribbon cutting ceremony, get a tour of the facility, attend a Town Hall meeting, and enjoy lunch before taking the rest of the day off in honor and recognition of the hard work that got us to where we are today.
BioCentriq’s CEO and Founder, Haro Hartounian, Ph.D., shared the history and evolution of BioCentriq to demonstrate just how far we’ve come—from starting off with the support of NJIT and strategic partners like Pall Corporation, to opening our Newark facility in October 2020, to being acquired by South Korea’s GC in May 2022. Dr. Hartounian commended those who have been with the company since its founding for all their hard work and dedication, and enthusiastically welcomed those who have recently joined our expanding team as part of our ongoing journey.
Chathuranga De Silva, Ph.D., BioCentriq’s Senior Director of Business Development, spoke about the growth of his team, the immense market demand for CDMO services in cell and gene therapy, and the pending projects he’s most excited about. He also gave an overview of the recent events BioCentriq has attended and presented at, including BioNJ Manufacturing Briefing 2022, Biotech Week, and ARM’s Meeting on the Mesa. The next event our BioCentriq team is gearing up for is our very own webinar, Setting the Stage for Successful Clinical Manufacturing of Cell and Gene Therapies, hosted in collaboration with Phacilitate.
Alex Klarer, Head of MSAT and Director of Research and Development at BioCentriq, gave an overview of where BioCentriq is headed and the strategy the company will implement as we build a platform designed to serve our anticipated primary client base. Speaking about the future landscape of cell and gene therapy, he spoke passionately about how working at a CDMO means hard work, but the things that make it difficult are exactly what make it so rewarding and valuable. Alex made it known that between working on therapeutics, programs, and modalities, the work we do ultimately elevates the entire industry, and more importantly, brings novel therapies to patients most in need. The result means enabling healthier lives, and many times, saving lives.
After the Town Hall meeting, the entire company gathered behind the ribbon as Dr. Hartounian officially cut it, and we celebrated the fact that we will be manufacturing in our new facility come the new year, if not sooner. The site includes two ISO-7 certified clean rooms with separate air handling units. Both will be operated under well-established GMP procedures and systems. They are specially designed to handle multiple equipment platforms and support autologous and allogeneic cell therapy manufacturing projects. The site also includes quality control and process development laboratories.
The celebration culminated in a lunch with Halloween props and costumes for our team to have fun, enjoy, and take quite possibly the best Halloween photos of 2022—all in front of the BioCentriq backdrop. Colleagues toured the facility, some of whom were excited to see it for the first time, before heading home for the remainder of the day to enjoy our huge success in opening this new facility.
As BioCentriq continues to grow, we’re seeking new team members who can help support our expansion. We are recruiting passionate, dedicated, and experienced professionals at all levels. To learn more about joining our team, visit our Careers page to view our current openings. Let us know how you can add needed value to our team by sending your resume to hr@biocentriq.com or following the links on the Careers page.
If you are a CGT biotech or program lead and are looking for a CDMO partner who can help you get to the next milestone in your program, contact us today and we’ll respond quickly to determine if we might be a viable partner for you.