
27 April 2017
Abzena to pursue $12 million investment program to upgrade and expand its San Diego biomanufacturing operations
San Diego CA, USA, 26 April 2017 – Abzena intends to invest $12 million at its San Diego facilities in order to upgrade and expand its biomanufacturing capabilities and capacity to meet increasing customer demand for its services. This investment was made possible following the Company’s recent $32 million financing via a share placing on the London Stock Exchange.
Abzena is a growing international life sciences services and technology group enabling the development of better biopharmaceuticals from its three locations in San Diego, Pennsylvania and United Kingdom, as part of these major biopharmaceutical industry clusters.
The Company’s services are utilised by a global customer base, including 18 of the top 25 major biopharmaceutical companies over the past three years. Customers for Abzena’s San Diego business originate from across the US, as well as Europe and Asia Pacific regions. Recent new projects for Abzena San Diego include two European customers advancing programs from earlier antibody engineering projects at Abzena’s Cambridge UK facility into biomanufacturing services in San Diego to supply material for clinical trials.
Abzena’s San Diego operations have been part of the Abzena Group since the acquisition of PacificGMP in September 2015. PacificGMP was founded in 2005 and has been a pioneer in the adoption of single-use manufacturing technology, which is increasingly being used to manufacture biopharmaceuticals. It currently employs 66 people and has facilities in Sorrento Valley and Torrey Pines.
Other sites within the Abzena group focus on biology and chemistry research services, whilst in San Diego Abzena provides contract process development and manufacture of biopharmaceuticals for early to mid-stage clinical trials, including monoclonal antibodies and recombinant proteins as well as ancillary reagents for cell therapy for a growing international customer base.
John Manzello, President Abzena (US), said:
“We are seeing a growing demand in the market for our services from biopharma companies developing novel but complex biological medicines for a wide range of diseases; from rare genetic childhood disorders through to cancer.
“We believe there is a significant opportunity to grow Abzena’s US businesses through the investment program that we will now pursue. By upgrading and expanding our biomanufacturing capabilities and capacity, we will be able to provide our customers with a range of complementary services, helping them translate their innovative discovery research ideas through to clinical development.”