SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--JSR Life Sciences, LLC today announced that it is increasing its European footprint with a newly expanded, state-of-the-art facility that will co-locate primary European operations for its affiliate companies KBI Biopharma and Selexis SA. The two companies combined will occupy 8,700 square meters in the Stellar 32 campus within Geneva’s ZIPLO (Industrial Zone Plan-les-Ouates). KBI Biopharma’s expanded facility will enable the Company to offer clinical cGMP biologics bulk drug substance manufacturing for European clients. Selexis’ new workspaces will allow the Company to meet the increasing demand for its highly specialized mammalian cell line development technologies and services. Together, the companies anticipate creating more than 250 new highly technical jobs in the new facilities.
JSR Life Sciences invested in the co-located operations to help meet the needs of its European client base. This arrangement will facilitate additional options for clients to leverage efficiencies for integrating Selexis’ SUREtechnologyTM protein expression platform with KBI’s advanced process and analytical development tools.
“JSR Life Sciences is proud to have best-in-class companies focused on translating customers’ ideas into novel biologics that are improving patients’ lives worldwide,” said Tim Lowery, President of JSR Life Sciences. “This strategic investment in our European operations creates new options by linking the core strengths of our affiliates, increases efficiencies, and ultimately accelerates our customers’ ability to bring innovative life science products into the marketplace. In addition, KBI and Selexis will benefit from the extensive biopharma industrial base, advanced technical resources, and specialized education offerings in this region.”
KBI Biopharma’s new 5,600-square-meter biologic bulk drug substance manufacturing facility is scheduled to be operational by mid-2022 and will create more than 200 technical positions in development, operations, and quality assurance. From this facility, KBI will supply customers with cGMP bulk drug substance to meet their clinical trial requirements. The expanded capabilities include two 2,000L single-use cGMP manufacturing trains with process development and analytical testing labs on site. cGMP quality control testing for release and in-process testing will be performed on-site in the new Geneva facility, while cGMP testing of drug substance and drug product stability will remain at the KBI Biopharma BVBA laboratories in Leuven, Belgium.
Selexis’ Geneva footprint will increase by 200% and is scheduled to be operational by mid-2021. The new space will include laboratory, office, health/wellness, and employee common spaces. Throughout the expansion, Selexis has maintained its commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) through investing in a Minergie-certified building (a Swiss building standard aimed at construction with above-average demands on quality, comfort, and energy) with an energy balance 20% better than Swiss recommendations for energy resource and conservation1. Floorplans support the unique technical needs of Selexis cell line workflows, including department-wide segregation and state-of-the-art monitoring systems. In addition to new standard cell line development suites, the new facility will also include two separate cell culture suites to accommodate quarantined client-specific cell lines or client-dedicated cell line spaces.
“This expansion is a cornerstone of our European growth strategy, which builds on Selexis’ innovative cell line technologies and KBI’s strong expertise in biologics manufacturing to meet the needs of our clients’ clinical trial requirements. The new facility allows us to increase engagement with a broader client base with whom we can partner more effectively due to our local presence,” said Dirk Lange, President and CEO of KBI Biopharma and CEO of Selexis SA. “As science progresses, research and treatments become increasingly complex and sophisticated, and we are fully prepared to keep pace with our clients’ needs by providing the latest life science discovery and development technology. Furthermore, by co-locating these operations, the synergies for rapid cell line and process development and introduction to manufacturing will be tremendous, which we see as a true advantage for our client base.”
The Stellar 32 facility remains in the center of highly diversified industrial companies in Geneva. It provides easy access for clients and employees, located close to the A1 Motorway, Geneva Airport, and public transportation including buses, trams, and multiple railways. The location will also provide convenient access to a three-star hotel as well as a restaurant and fitness center.
About JSR Life Sciences, LLC
JSR Life Sciences, LLC is committed to the advancement of human health worldwide as a strategic partner to companies that discover, develop, and deliver products to treat disease and improve the quality of life for patients. Based in Sunnyvale, California, JSR Life Sciences operates a network of manufacturing facilities, R&D labs and sales offices. The JSR Life Sciences family of companies includes Crown Bioscience, KBI Biopharma, Inc., Medical & Biological Laboratories Co., LTD., Selexis SA and other affiliates throughout Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.
About KBI Biopharma, Inc.
KBI Biopharma is an award-winning biopharmaceutical contract services organization providing fully integrated, accelerated drug development and biomanufacturing services to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies globally. With each of our 300+ client partners, we have worked closely to personalize and rapidly accelerate their drug development programs. Built upon a foundation of world-class analytical capabilities, we deliver efficient process development and clinical and commercial cGMP manufacturing services for mammalian, microbial, and cell therapy programs. We have locations in Durham and Research Triangle Park (NC), Boulder and Louisville (CO), The Woodlands (TX), Geneva, Switzerland, and Leuven, Belgium. More information is available at www.kbibiopharma.com.
About Selexis SA
Selexis SA, a JSR Life Sciences Company, is the global leader in cell line development with best-in-class modular technology and highly specialized solutions that enable the life sciences industry to rapidly discover, develop, and commercialize innovative medicines and vaccines. Our global partners are utilizing Selexis technologies to advance more than 130 drug products in clinical development and the manufacture of eight commercial products. As part of a comprehensive drug development process, the Company’s technologies shorten development timelines and reduce manufacturing risks. More information is available at www.selexis.com.
1 The “Model Regulations of the Cantons in the Energy Sector” (MuKEn) is the “overall package” of energy law model regulations in the building sector that the cantons have jointly developed based on their implementation experience.