Thermo Fisher closing NJ cell therapy site, 113 jobs to go

Less than three years after Thermo Fisher launched cell therapy services, the CDMO is closing its Princeton, New Jersey facility citing changing manufacturing demands.

In 2020, Thermo Fisher expanded into the cell therapy space through the creation of a collaboration center in Princeton, New Jersey as part of a wider $475 million investment in its contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) capacity.

However, the site is set to close its doors in the coming months, the company has confirmed.

Thermo Fisher is closing its Princeton, NJ facility. Image co Google

“Thermo Fisher Scientific continuously evaluates its global operations to identify opportunities to improve efficiency and effectiveness in meeting our customers’ needs,” a spokesperson told BioProcess Insider.

“In alignment with this ongoing effort, we have made the decision to close our Princeton, New Jersey site to remain in line with current manufacturing volume demands.”

The closure comes days after Thermo Fisher celebrated the opening of a cell therapy plant located at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) offering clinical and commercial cGMP cell therapy manufacturing services and technology development support.

“San Francisco will offer both development and cGMP manufacturing capabilities,” we were told. “With changing market demands, it was determined that we no longer needed both locations.”

The decision will affect 113 workers at the site, according to a State of New Jersey Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) report.

“Decisions that impact colleagues and their families are never taken lightly, and we will do everything possible to support our colleagues who are affected. These actions are designed to better help us serve our customers, strengthen our global competitive position, and provide long-term growth and success of our organization.”

The cutbacks echo similar reductions within Thermo Fisher’s network as macro-economic factors including a post-COVID downturn in demand hit a company that, through its diagnostic testing and bioprocessing materials business, saw significant tailwinds during the pandemic. The firm  announced  plans to lay off 230 workers from its San Diego, California test production plant in February, and last month cut jobs across single-use technology (SUT) production facilities in Utah.