Full-service operations center marks U.S. expansion for global CRO and CDMO
Houston, TX, February 22, 2023 – PackGene Biotech Inc. (PackGene), a world-leading adeno-associated viral (rAAV) vector contract research organization (CRO) and contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), announced today the expansion of its U.S. services with a new cGMP biomanufacturing and processing facility in Houston. The company broke ground on the full-service operations center this week to support a growing base of U.S. customers advancing gene therapy programs.
“We are excited to bring economical, reliable, and scalable AAV products, as well as our viral vector development and GMP production capabilities, to our next full-service operations center in Houston,” said PackGene Chief Technology Officer LiYing Yang.
“These capabilities will enable us to serve our U.S. customers better and, importantly, to help bring life-saving therapies to patients faster, more reliably, and more cost- effectively. With this, we are making great strides in advancing our mission of ‘making gene therapy affordable’.”
The 25,000-square-foot facility will be located just outside Houston’s inner loop at 9310 Kirby Drive. The facility will include process and analytical laboratories, cGMP manufacturing cleanrooms and support areas, quality control laboratories, a warehouse, and office space. This represents an expansion of the existing operations, which include some process and analytical development, and laboratory space, employing approximately 20 people. PackGene plans to nearly triple its Houston-area workforce to about 60 by the end of 2023 when the new facility is expected to be complete. BE&K Building Group is providing design-build services on the project, and the architect of record is Perkins + Will.
At the groundbreaking event, PackGene CTO Yang gave opening remarks, followed by Paul Li, founder and president of PackGene; Betty Russo, Gulf Coast / East Texas regional representative, Office of the Governor, State of Texas; and Ann Tanabe, CEO, BioHouston, Inc.
“We do healthcare delivery all so well in Houston: we have the greatest academic research institutions; we have a vibrant early-stage entrepreneur community at TMC innovation; now we have manufacturing, which is a huge piece of the overall delivery system for patients. So PackGene, you are going to be a tremendous resource to our Houston community alongside with the other members that we have here,” said Tanabe, during the groundbreaking ceremony Feb. 22.
Founded in Massachusetts, USA, PackGene has additional operations in Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Boston. The company works with customers to support gene therapy programs from early-stage research & development and preclinical development to IND-enabling (Investigational New Drug) studies. PackGene aims to accelerate gene therapy product development by providing a fully integrated one-stop solution including plasmid, viral vector, fill-finish, and quality control analytical services for the gene therapy industry.
For more information about PackGene’s newest facility, contact LiYing Yang at liying.yang@packgene.com. For information about job opportunities at PackGene, visit the company’s careers page at https://www.packgene.com/about-us/careers/.
PackGene is a world-leading Adeno-Associated Virus (AAV) vector CRO and CDMO company, providing economical, reliable, and scalable plasmid DNA and AAV viral vector production for early-stage drug discovery, preclinical development, and clinical trials for Cell and Gene Therapy (CGT). The proprietary π-Alpha™ 293 AAV High-Yield Platform uses uniquely designed RC plasmid in the triple-plasmid transfection system to increase AAV production by three to eight times in various AAV serotypes. By combining both in-process upstream and downstream QbD optimizations, the total AAV yield can be increased up to ten times. PackGene’s services are based on major technology platforms including the π-Alpha™ 293 cell AAV high-yield platform and π-Omega™ plasmid high-yield platform, with comprehensive analytical development and quality control capabilities. For more information, please visit https://www.packgene.com.
PackGene cGMP biomanufacturing and processing facility in Houston
PackGene groundbreaking ceremony
Left to right: Ashley Danna, Greater Houston Partnership, Senior manager, Regional Economic Development; Dr. Paul Li, PackGene, Founder and President; Dr. Luyan He, PackGene, Vice President of Commercial Team; Dr. Liying Yang, PackGene, Chief Technology Officer; Bryan Alyea, PackGene, Head of Facilities and Engineering; Ann Tanabe, BioHouston, Inc., Chief Executive Officer; Betty Russo, Gulf Coast / East Texas regional representative, Office of the Governor, State of Texas.
Dr. Paul Li, PackGene, Founder and President, speaking at PackGene groundbreaking ceremony.
