AstraZeneca bolsters CGT ambitions through $300m expansion

According to the firm, the site, which is less than five miles away from its R&D center in Gaithersburg, is in proximity to universities and international airports. Through this expansion AstraZeneca (AZ) aims to create more than 150 jobs, and the facility is expected to be operational by 2026. “The facility, which focuses on manufacturing T-cell therapies for oncological trials, is situated in Rockville, Montgomery County,” a spokesperson for AstraZeneca told BioProcess Insider. 

“Cell therapies are one of the many new modalities in our pipeline that we must begin to plan for making and delivering as part of our ambition […]. The Rockville site will launch AstraZeneca’s life-saving cell therapy platforms in the US for critical cancer trials and future commercial supply. […]Over time, the site may expand its focus to support other disease areas.” 

Supported by the Advantage Maryland program, the Maryland department of commerce will assist with project costs by approving a conditional loan of $500,000. Additionally, $100,000 will be provided by Montgomery County through an economic development fund. 

The Anglo-Swedish pharma giant is rampantly building up its manufacturing network to support a series of mergers, acquisitions and partnerships in the CGT space. At the beginning of 2023, AZ acquired Neogene, though the total could be up to $320 million depending on milestones. 

This was followed by the firm adding a portfolio of preclinical gene therapies from fellow Big Pharma firm Pfizer for up to $1 billion. Further bolstering its gene therapy pipeline, AZ invested $245 million in French biotechnology company Cellectis in November 2023. Ending the year on a high, the firm announced the acquisition of Chinese biopharmaceutical firm Gracell Biotechnologies in a deal worth up to $1.2billion.