AstraZeneca announced plans to establish a commercial cell therapy manufacturing and supply base and innovation center in Shanghai, as part of the company’s $15 billion investment pledge in China announced this past January.
AstraZeneca will build a dedicated commercial cell therapy manufacturing and supply base in the Lingang New Area of the Shanghai Free Trade Zone for the commercial production and supply of autologous CAR-T cell therapies in China and other Asian markets. This includes AZD0120, a BCMA/CD19 dual-target CAR-T cell therapy developed using Gracell Biotech's FasTCAR rapid production platform, which is currently undergoing clinical trials in multiple myeloma and autoimmune diseases.
The company will also establish the AstraZeneca Gracell Cell Therapy Innovation Center in Shanghai Zhangjiang High-Tech Park, covering early-stage research, viral vector and plasmid development, analytical testing, clinical manufacturing, and registration support.
Simultaneously, the drugmaker announced it will also launch a new Shanghai-UK life sciences innovation ecosystem collaboration with the Shanghai Science and Technology Commission and leading UK research and financial institutions. The collaboration aims to drive joint research, commercialization and business expansion, enabling innovations from both the UK and Shanghai to benefit patients worldwide.
The previously revealed $15 billion commitment in China through 2030 will build on AstraZeneca’s substantial R&D footprint, including global strategic R&D centers in Beijing and Shanghai. The company will also develop its existing manufacturing facilities in Wuxi, Taizhou, Qingdao and Beijing, which provide medicines to patients in China and 70 markets worldwide.
Subscribe to our e-Newsletters
Stay up to date with news, articles and insights relevant to cell and gene therapy development and manufacturing. Plus, get special offers from Cell & Gene Therapy Review delivered right to your inbox!
Sign up now!