VectorBuilder Grows R&D Services, Unveils $500 Million China Construction Project

VectorBuilder Inc., a biotech firm, will be building a new, $500-million R&D and manufacturing center in Guangzhou, China. The company expects the “Gene Delivery Research and Manufacturing Campus” to significantly expand its R&D capabilities and its production capacity for both research-use and current good manufacturing practice (cGMP)-grade gene delivery vectors, allowing the company to continue supporting research worldwide.

Construction will be divided into two phases over the next four years. There will be over 1,000,000 square feet of floor space available for about 2,000 staff members.

Blueprint for VectorBuilder campus

The campus will feature a state-of-the-art contract and development organization (CDMO) facility with 30 production suites, designed for cGMP manufacturing of plasmids, mRNA, adeno-associated virus (AAV), lentivirus, cell lines, and other types of viral and non-viral vectors. It will also offer contract research organization (CRO) services for vector optimization, functional validation, and non-good laboratory practice (GLP) and GLP studies for vector biodistribution, among other technology.

Further, the campus will house a research institute for developing new gene delivery technologies that target efficiency, payload, safety, and manufacturing cost, in order to meet the demand in clinical applications such as gene therapy, vector-based vaccines, and virus-based cancer therapeutics.