Latest news with #Bionova
Business Journals
24-04-2025
- Business
- Business Journals
Bionova Scientific commits to more Woodlands buildings, hiring
The Fremont, California-based contract development and manufacturing organization is planning another facility north of Houston. Story Highlights Bionova Scientific is planning a second, 100,000-square-foot facility in The Woodlands by 2026. The first building, which took six months of construction, is nearly ready for its ribbon-cutting. Company expects to hire 200 workers for plasmid DNA manufacturing. Bionova Scientific is gearing up for a major expansion in The Woodlands as its first Houston-area facility approaches full capacity this summer. Bionova Chief Scientific Officer Jesse McCool said the Fremont, California-based contract development and manufacturing organization, or CDMO, is planning a second, 100,000-square-foot building at 2600 Research Forest Drive, which is set to be complete in 2026. The company also plans to hire 200 workers, a significant jump from previously reported figures. Bionova's first facility is in an existing building in The Woodlands' rapidly growing life sciences ecosystem, but McCool confirmed the second would be built from the ground up. Chicago-based Perkins&Will is the design firm for the second project, and $5 million in 'detailed engineering work' has already been completed. 'Our first facility covers all the [plasmid DNA] manufacturing services we offer, but only up to a certain scale; it covers pre-clinical and early clinical orders,' McCool told the Houston Business Journal in an exclusive interview. 'We have a path to scalability; we have a line of sight to the larger facility, which is going to be right next door.' The company plans to manufacture all three grades of plasmid DNA: research, high quality and Good Manufacturing Practice grade. The DNA can be used in various cell and gene therapy applications depending on the grade. Bionova has already opened some phases of the first building at 2635 Technology Forest Drive ahead of a planned ribbon-cutting in May. The company expects to receive final approval of its GMP manufacturing space in July. The Woodlands-based Aventus Development led the first project, which took six months of construction, according to McCool. The other major expansion target for Bionova in Houston is a 200-person biopharma workforce. McCool said that the first building will have capacity for around 55 workers; the remainder would go into the second building. Of that workforce, McCool estimates around 60% wouldn't need four-year degrees. "That makes this type of business attractive to communities because it helps prop up a part of the community that doesn't have access to higher-paying jobs," he said. The planned expansion would be a significant step up from what Bionova previously disclosed in tax abatement applications to Montgomery County and The Woodlands. In its February 2024 application for Montgomery County tax abatements, Bionova said it planned to invest $100 million into the initial facility, with $56.1 million allotted for construction. Another $45.8 million would go into 'fixed personal property,' or property that is attached in a way that makes it essential to the building's use. The improvements were expected to take the value of the Research Forest Drive property from $2.4 million to $78.5 million. The abatement application also said Bionova had been considering North Carolina's Research Triangle Park, a hotbed of its own for pharmaceutical manufacturing. But McCool highlighted Houston-specific advantages in The Woodlands and the Texas Medical Center as factors that drew the company to Texas. 'It's a very intentional choice of doing (this) in The Woodlands because you're right across the street from Cellipont Bioservices and right up the street from the Texas Medical Center, where you have all these startups coming out of incubation, raising capital,' he said. McCool also highlighted the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, the state grant program that has given $3.8 billion to bring researchers and companies to Texas. Grantees often turn to CDMOs like Bionova to help them carry out their research. But he also added he'd like to see the CPRIT rules directly require manufacturing to take place in the Lone Star State. Bionova is a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Asahi Kahei Medical, which McCool said has a 'long-term' vision for biopharma. 'There's a $25 billion company backing this new company in Texas, and that's a really good thing,' McCool said. 'They're investing in the U.S., in the manufacturing infrastructure that we need to support." The San Francisco Business Times, an HBJ sister publication, reported in January that Bionova had completed its move into a new 55,000-square-foot space in California, doubling its employment in that area. Sign up here for the Houston Business Journal's free morning and afternoon daily newsletters to receive the latest business news impacting Greater Houston.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bionova Opens Fremont Process Development and Pilot Plant
FREMONT, Calif., March 04, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Bionova Scientific, an Asahi Kasei company and boutique commercial-scale biologics contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), has announced the opening of a new facility in Fremont, California. The 55,000 sq. ft. process development and pilot plant will significantly expand the company's ability to advance early-stage biologics assets to first-in-human trials and facilitate the future expansion of its manufacturing capacity. Bionova hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by approximately 150 industry and community leaders to mark the occasion. Darren Head, Chairman & President; Jesse McCool, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer; and James Glover II, Chief Operating Officer, were joined by The Honorable Raj Salwan, Mayor of the City of Fremont. Representatives were also in attendance from the Office of Congressman Ro Khanna and Congressman Eric Swallwell; the Office of State Senator Dr. Aisha Wahab; the Office of the Alameda County Assessor Phong La; and Cindy Bonior, CEO of the Fremont Chamber of Commerce. "Many of our customers are early-stage biopharmaceutical innovators who need agile partners who can quickly provide process development and reliable manufacturing operations that are scaleable, without the need to tech transfer to another CDMO as their programs mature," commented Darren Head, Chairman & President of Bionova. "This new facility enhances our capacity to serve early-stage clients while also providing overflow capacity for our larger biopharma customers." At the event, Fremont Mayor Raj Salwan commented, "Fremont has long been a leader in biopharmaceutical and medical device manufacturing. Being home to over 100 biomedical companies, Fremont has adopted the industry slogan of being the City where BioMed goes to scale. Having operated its entire existence in Fremont, Bionova is unique in being a 100% homegrown success story, and their growth has been remarkable. Fremont wholeheartedly congratulates Bionova on their new facility and expansion in our community and looks forward to our continued partnership for many years to come." Widely known as "Biotech Bay," the biopharma industry in the San Francisco Bay Area is considered one of the largest in the United States, generating more than $142 billion in economic activity and over 328,000 direct and indirect jobs. The region represents a substantial portion of U.S. biotech venture capital investment, positioning Bionova to help local innovators advance their assets to the clinic efficiently and cost-effectively. "Bionova's team of bioprocess experts has proven itself as a valuable partner for clients seeking to overcome challenging CMC issues, especially with complex modalities," said Michelle Chen, Senior Vice President for Process Development and Manufacturing at Bionova. "With this new facility, all of our pre-GMP activities are co-located and integrated under one roof. We already see meaningful technical and efficiency gains as our PD teams can facilitate seamless technology transfer by scaling and training simultaneously." Congressman Ro Khanna (D-CA) commented, "Congratulations to Bionova Scientific on the opening of its new process development facility. Bionova is a native son of my hometown of Fremont and is now positioned to help biopharma drug makers move their innovations from early-stage compounds to commercial, life-saving drugs, including potential new cancer treatments." To learn more about Bionova, visit About Bionova Scientific Bionova Scientific partners with innovators in the biologic industry to bring life-changing therapies to market. Founded in 2014 and acquired by Asahi Kasei Group in 2022, Bionova Scientific offers customers access to superior tools and technologies and an unwavering commitment to quality delivered with scientific excellence across the entire lifecycle. Bionova offers integrated CDMO services that span cell line development, process development to the cGMP manufacturing of complex proteins and antibodies. Our experienced Bay Area scientists bring proven expertise to overcoming discovery to first-in-human development challenges and scale-up. Bionova is a flexible and collaborative partner that has worked with leading biotechnology innovators from its new state-of-the-art facility in the San Francisco Bay Area. About Asahi Kasei The Asahi Kasei Group contributes to life and living for people around the world. Since its foundation in 1922 with ammonia and cellulose fiber businesses, Asahi Kasei has consistently grown through the proactive transformation of its business portfolio to meet the evolving needs of every age. With more than 49,000 employees worldwide, the company contributes to a sustainable society by providing solutions to the world's challenges through its three business sectors of Material, Homes, and Health Care. Its health care operations include devices and systems for acute critical care, dialysis, therapeutic apheresis, and manufacture of biotherapeutics, as well as pharmaceuticals and diagnostic reagents. For more information, visit and View source version on Contacts Bionova Scientific: Chris Halling (Orientation Marketing)+44 (0)7580 Asahi Kasei North America: Asahi Kasei America Asahi Kasei Europe: Asahi Kasei Europe GmbHSebastian
