Univercells has launched a bioprocess technology subsidiary it says can offer a new generation of biomanufacturing platforms that can solve industry’s manufacturing challenges.
It has been a busy few months for Belgium-based biologics platform firm Univercells. In February, global investment firm KKR – through its portfolio of life sciences tools companies Gamma Biosciences – committed €50 million ($54 million) into the firm Univercells.
Then last month, the firm launched Exothera, a process development and viral vector contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) based on its bioprocess technologies and facilities in Gosselies and Nivelles, along with a newly acquired plant in Jumet, all in Belgium.
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And now, the company has launched Univercells Technologies, a subsidiary focused on the development and commercialization of its intensified and automated biomanufacturing technologies.
We spoke to Mathias Garny, general manager of Univercells Technologies, to understand how the firm has evolved, how KKR has driven the changes, and what lies ahead.
Bioprocess Insider (BI): How has the KKR investment help drive this spin out of your technology wing, and what role does it have in Exothera?
Mathias Garny (MG): The KKR investment will only support Univercells Technologies, focused on the industrialization and commercialization of novel bioprocessing technologies, i.e. the scale-X bioreactors range and the NevoLine platform.
Exothera is a free-standing subsidiary, fully owned by the Univercells group. There are no shareholding engagements to Univercells Technologies or other companies. Exothera will leverage the Univercells Technologies portfolio where possible for continuous improvement of customer projects but this will not be the only technology offered to the CDMO customers.
BI: Why the need to create this subsidiary?
MG: The subsidiary was created to reassemble the deployment of the manufacturing technologies under a dedicated brand name while preserving Univercells’ purpose of making biologics available and affordable to all. The name and entity of Univercells will continue in this same path by acting as the holding company for the different subsidiaries to comprehensively contribute to improving global health.
All Univercells’ companies will leverage the biomanufacturing solutions where possible for gene therapy, vaccine and biosimilar production.
BI: How separate will the two entities be both from a management and operational standpoint?
MG: The creation of specific entities allows for enhanced operational focus under the Univercells umbrella. Each subsidiary has dedicated management and operational teams that respond to the specific customer needs of that unit.