Bionova Scientific, an Asahi Kasei Corp. (Tokyo) company and commercial-scale biologics contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), has announced the opening of a new facility in Fremont, California. The 55,000 sq. ft. process development and pilot plant will significantly expand the company’s ability to advance early-stage biologics assets to first-in-human trials and facilitate the future expansion of its manufacturing capacity.
Bionova hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by approximately 150 industry and community leaders to mark the occasion. Darren Head, Chairman & President; Jesse McCool, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer; and James Glover II, Chief Operating Officer, were joined by The Honorable Raj Salwan, Mayor of the City of Fremont. Representatives were also in attendance from the Office of Congressman Ro Khanna and Congressman Eric Swallwell; the Office of State Senator Dr. Aisha Wahab; the Office of the Alameda County Assessor Phong La; and Cindy Bonior, CEO of the Fremont Chamber of Commerce.
“Many of our customers are early-stage biopharmaceutical innovators who need agile partners who can quickly provide process development and reliable manufacturing operations that are scaleable, without the need to tech transfer to another CDMO as their programs mature,” commented Darren Head, Chairman & President of Bionova. “This new facility enhances our capacity to serve early-stage clients while also providing overflow capacity for our larger biopharma customers.”
At the event, Fremont Mayor Raj Salwan commented, “Fremont has long been a leader in biopharmaceutical and medical device manufacturing. Being home to over 100 biomedical companies, Fremont has adopted the industry slogan of being the City where BioMed goes to scale. Having operated its entire existence in Fremont, Bionova is unique in being a 100% homegrown success story, and their growth has been remarkable. Fremont wholeheartedly congratulates Bionova on their new facility and expansion in our community and looks forward to our continued partnership for many years to come.”
Widely known as “Biotech Bay,” the biopharma industry in the San Francisco Bay Area is considered one of the largest in the United States, generating more than $142 billion in economic activity and over 328,000 direct and indirect jobs. The region represents a substantial portion of U.S. biotech venture capital investment, positioning Bionova to help local innovators advance their assets to the clinic efficiently and cost-effectively.
“Bionova’s team of bioprocess experts has proven itself as a valuable partner for clients seeking to overcome challenging CMC issues, especially with complex modalities,” said Michelle Chen, Senior Vice President for Process Development and Manufacturing at Bionova. “With this new facility, all of our pre-GMP activities are co-located and integrated under one roof. We already see meaningful technical and efficiency gains as our PD teams can facilitate seamless technology transfer by scaling and training simultaneously.”
Congressman Ro Khanna (D-CA) commented, “Congratulations to Bionova Scientific on the opening of its new process development facility. Bionova is a native son of my hometown of Fremont and is now positioned to help biopharma drug makers move their innovations from early-stage compounds to commercial, life-saving drugs, including potential new cancer treatments.”