NIBRT opens advanced therapies plant in Ireland

NIBRT said the €21 million ($22.7 million) 1,800 m² facility will increase Ireland’s global position in the biopharma manufacturing space. Additionally, it will create high value jobs in advanced therapeutics, which includes cell and gene therapies (CGTs), oligonucleotide-cased therapies, and other therapeutic and vaccine modalities.

The plant also includes a €6.5 million ($7 million) Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) and Industrial Development Agency (IDA) co-funded research facility named CONCEPT, which is focused on the early-stage advancement of biologic therapeutics.

 “Advanced therapeutics is a broad category of innovative biological medicines that includes cell therapies, gene therapies, mRNA and DNA-based therapies and other novel biologic-based medicines and vaccines. This expansion will increase NIBRT’s capacity and capability to conduct manufacturing-focused research and training in advanced therapeutics,” a spokesperson for NIBRT told BioProcess Insider.

“The role of NIBRT is to help the growth and development of the biopharma manufacturing sector in Ireland by providing cutting edge training and research solutions. NIBRT intends to further enhance our current capability by becoming a leader in the pioneering and fast-evolving area of advanced therapies and vaccines. With this expansion, we expect to deliver training for many more potential and newly hired biopharma staff, as well as considerable growth in our research activities. This has the potential to rapidly enhance Ireland’s standing as a location of choice for advanced therapy and vaccine manufacturing.”

The facility will have approximately 25 researchers and training staff and NIBRT said they will serve new and existing customers by providing research solutions to manufacturing challenges and training in the production of complex medicines.

“The Irish biopharma industry continues to go from strength-to-strength, with over twenty new biologics manufacturing facilities developed across Ireland over the last decade and in excess of €15 billion [$16.2 million] in capital investment over that time. More than 45,000 people are now employed directly in the biopharma industry, and this represents a doubling of employment in high-expertise and high-value biopharma roles since 2014,” the spokesperson said.