Texas Cell and Gene Manufacturing Landscape

The decision to hold Advanced Therapies Week 2025 in Texas was not one we took lightly. The state is home to a whole host of innovative cell and gene therapy (CGT) biotechs and contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMOs), 

There are more than 5,200 biotechnology and life sciences related manufacturing and R&D firms operating in the area, while Houston and Austin rank as the number two and number three emerging clusters for life sciences. 

Texas presents a favorable environment for advanced therapies innovation and manufacturing growth. It was named the state for small business job growth in 2021 and boasts: 

• A highly skilled workforce,  

• A low tax burden 

• A reasonable cost of living  

• Predictable regulatory environment 

Purpose-Built Facilities 

One major development which underpins this manufacturing excellence is the Cell Therapy Manufacturing Center (CTMC). The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and National Resilience launched the CTMC in June 2022.  

The CTMC combines a 60,000 ft2 purpose-built cell therapy development and industrial-grade cGMP cleanroom space with Resilience’s cloud-based, digital-first electronic systems. It coordinates all cell therapy manufacturing, infusion, patient care, and clinical correlate analysis logistics.  

Houston is also home to Texas Medical Center, the largest medical complex in the world, which is due to open TMC BioPort, a biomanufacturing campus that will cover approximately 500 acres.  

Texas Cell and Gene Manufacturing Facilities 

CDMOs in Texas are working hard to overcome CGT manufacturing challenges, such as scaling up, supply chain management, reducing impurities, overcoming bottlenecks such as increasing the number of adeno-associated viruses, and reducing costs. 

AstraZeneca: State-of-the-art Manufacturing Facilities

While this announcement doesn’t exclusively involve the cell and gene therapy space, AstraZeneca is set to invest $3.5 billion of capital investment in the US. The investment is focused on expanding the company’s research and manufacturing footprint by the end of 2026. This includes specialty manufacturing in Texas.

Bionova Scientific: pDNA Production and GMP Manufacturing 

Bionova Scientific, a full-service biologics CDMO, announced plans to expand into plasmid DNA (pDNA) production in mid 2024; a new manufacturing facility in The Woodlands, Texas (near Houston) will be the centerpiece of this expansion in capabilities.  

In Q1 2025, the company will start to offer pDNA development services and production of research grade and high quality pDNA, with GMP manufacturing planned for later in 2025. 

The company said that it chose a location in The Woodlands due to its geographical proximity to CGT companies across the US, as well as local access to the rapidly expanding CGT ecosystem in Texas. 

Cellipont Bioservices: Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management  

Cellipont Bioservices opened a 76,000 ft2 facility in The Woodlands, Texas in March 2024. The facility includes: 

• Seven modular cleanroom suites 

• Integrated quality control laboratories 

• Temperature-controlled storage solutions 

• Segregated shipping bays and warehouse 

• Automated closed processing systems 

• Cryogenic storage and logistics solutions 

• Robust supply chain management systems 

FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies: Single-Use Biomanufacturing 

FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies, a CDMO with experience in developing and manufacturing viral gene therapies, operates the largest single-use biomanufacturing campus in North America in College Station, Texas.  

In 2022, it expanded its facilities to add approximately 138,000 ft2 to the existing 300,000 ft2 campus. It provides space for multiple 500L and 2,000L bioreactors and associated purification equipment deploying single-use, disposable-device technology.  

Matica Biotechnology: Viral Vector Manufacturing  

In 2022, Matica Biotechnology opened a 45,000 ft2 facility dedicated to the production of viral vectors and cell-based products used in cell and gene therapies, vaccines, oncolytic therapies, and other genetic medicines. 

The company has since partnered with CytoImmune and Sartorius Stedim Biotech to produce viral vectors and optimize advanced viral vector manufacturing technologies at this facility.  

Lonza: Scaling Production 

Lonza opened a 300,000 ft2 manufacturing facility in 2018. At the time, it was the world’s largest dedicated CGT manufacturing facility. In 2021, Lonza Houston was officially approved for commercial production of a gene therapy by the FDA. 

The company built the facility with future capacity in mind to enable scale-up manufacturing in line with their customers’ needs. Its services support a wide range of cell and virus types, such as: 

• T-cells 

• Dendritic cells 

• Pluripotent stem cells  

• Mesenchymal stem cells

• Adenoviral, adeno-associated virus, lentiviral and other viral vectors

Neurogene: Reducing Product- and Process-related Impurities 

Neurogene constructed a 42,000 ft2 gene therapy manufacturing facility in Houston, Texas. Its cGMP-compliant processes have been designed to reduce product-and process-related impurities. 

If you’d like to get the latest insight into the world of cell and gene therapy manufacturing, why not register for Advanced Therapies Week 2025 and check out the dedicated tracks.