Aldevron ups mRNA capacity in North Dakota

Aldevron will add lipid nanoparticle (LNP) encapsulation and aseptic fill-finish capabilities in Fargo on the back of post-COVID demand for mRNA therapies and vaccines.

The additional drug product services will enable contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) Aldevron to offer customers full messenger RNA (mRNA) services from the site in Fargo, North Dakota.

According to Mark Wetzel, VP and general manager of mRNA Services at Aldevron, the long-planned expansion has been driven by high interest and increased demand following the modality’s breakthrough in the success of various COVID-19 vaccines.

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“Post COVID demand for mRNA-based novel therapies continues to increase with fast adoption of advanced nucleic acid technologies for disease treatment,” he told BioProcess Insider. “This is anticipated to fuel market growth during the coming years.”

He added: “The solution of a one-stop master cell bank through to fill and finish and drug product, or sequence to vial, is one of the top unmet needs in the market today and we hear about it from our clients constantly. By our estimates we could reduce the overall timeline of programs up to 30 – 40%.”

The level of investment has not been divulged, but according to Wetzel “it is well funded by Aldevron and fully supported by Danaher.”

Danaher Corporation acquired Aldevron for $9.6 billion in 2021. The conglomerate has a number of life sciences services firms in its portfolio, which will be integral to this expansion, said Wetzel.

“We believe the combination of Aldevron’s 25 years of experience and cGMP nucleic acid production combined with Danaher’s best-in-class scientific and technical expertise will be a winning combination that resonates strongly with clients.

Aldevron has unique access to technical competence with our sister companies – Cytiva, Pall, and most importantly Precision Nanosystems – and this gives us a leading position in this space.”

The expansion is set to be fully online in the second half of 2023.