CHA Medical & Bio Group officials celebrate the construction of its cell gene biobank (CGB) in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, Wednesday. Courtesy of CHA Medical & Bio Group

By Lee Kyung-min

CHA Medical & Bio Group has begun construction on its cell gene biobank (CGB), housing a variety of high-tech pharmaceutical treatments, manufacturing and research facilities at Pangyo in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, the firm said, Wednesday.

The construction is part of the firm's efforts to establish a strategy to build a strong, global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) network, alongside Matica Biotechnology, its U.S. cell and gene therapy affiliate with CDMO expertise.

Over $250 million (302 billion won) will be invested to build a 14-story building by 2024 including facilities for a number of CDMOs, as well as partner firms that will take the lead in the development of current good manufacturing practices (cGMP). The practices are required to conform to related guidelines recommended by pharmaceutical products authorization agencies.

The firm said the facility is expected to become one of the world's largest providers of full, advanced and integrated CDMO services dedicated to cell and gene therapy manufacturing and advanced stem cell biobanking.

The facility will manufacture cell and gene therapy and will offer integrated CDMO services for mRNA, viral vectors and plasmid DNA, providing GMP production with multiple segregated cleanrooms to maximize manufacturing efficiency.

The stem cell biobank will store various cell types including stem cells, cord blood, sperm cells and egg cells.

CHA Medical & Bio Group plans to integrate its proprietary cell separation, cell culture and cryopreservation technologies with its wide range of services to provide more optimized and customized approaches to cell and gene therapy development.

"Cell and gene therapy development and production require extensive expertise and highly specialized equipment compared to other biopharmaceuticals with more established manufacturing processes including the use of antibodies," said Dr. Cha Kwang-yul, the global research and innovation leader at CHA Medical & Bio Group.

"We believe that CGB will function as the leading cell and gene therapy manufacturing hub of Asia, incorporating CHA Biotech's long history and in-depth knowledge of cell therapy research and development and manufacturing process technology."