BioMagnetic Solutions will build a ferrofluid and monoclonal antibody production facility at Innovation Park in Pennsylvania, US.  

Gamma Biosciences acquired cell selection and bioseparation firm BioMagnetic Solutions (BMS) in January. Now BMS will construct a 13,000 square-foot production facility in Innovation Park at Penn State, which is expected to be fully operation in mid-2022.

BMS claims the company will continue to focus on developing proprietary nanoscale ferrofluids from clinical to development through to commercial scale and the facility will support commercialization of its selection technology platform.

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“The facility will manufacture specialty ferrofluids (highly magnetic nanoparticles) designed for high-efficiency cell selection, and monoclonal antibodies that are used in combination with the ferrofluids to enable cell specific affinity bioseparations,” a spokesperson from BMS told BioProcess Insider.

“The facility will operate under ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 13485 certifications to assure the highest quality standards and allow our platform to be used in advanced therapy manufacturing applications.”

BMS said the drive of advanced therapy manufacturing has caused it to recognize the need to “keep pace with the developments [and] the best way for us to do this is to be in control of our own destiny and circumvent the reliance on contract manufacturers.”

According to the firm, a major advantage of operating out of Penn State derives from its wide breadth of expertise from the University, including access to infrastructure and a talent pool of highly skilled personnel trained in bioprocess manufacturing.

“The 310 Innovation Blvd site is being designed from the ground up to house high technology manufacturing and laboratory spaces, and the facility already provides many of the features needed for our operations,” the spokesperson said.

30 employees

The plant is expected to house up to 30 operational, technical, and commercial personnel but will be considered fully operation with 20 staff at the point of move in.

Additional employees will be added as demand requires and BMS is “working with the University, the local economic development community as well as life sciences recruiters to attract talented personnel to the laboratory.”

No specific financial details of the plant have been disclosed, but the firm said it will be a multi-million-dollar facility.