Catalent Acquires Commercial-Scale Plasmid DNA Mfg. Facility

Catalent has acquired Promethera’s cell therapy manufacturing subsidiary, Hepatic Cell Therapy Support SA (HCTS), including its 32,400 sq.-ft. facility in Gosselies, Belgium. The facility will accommodate Catalent’s new commercial-scale plasmid DNA (pDNA) manufacturing and will provide the opportunity for the immediate growth of its pDNA service offering, which was recently acquired from Delphi Genetics to support cell and gene therapies.

The HCTS facility houses an existing cleanroom infrastructure, process development and quality control laboratories as well as warehouse space, and will be equipped to provide pDNA manufacturing up to a 500-liter scale. This new facility is located on Catalent’s existing campus in Gosselies, adjacent to the Delphi Genetics building. Since the purchase of MaSTherCell in March of 2020, this acquisition is the third that Catalent has made at its Gosselies location, and further expands its cell and gene therapy European Center of Excellence.

Fitting out the facility is expected to begin immediately, and will create more than 200 technical, scientific, and operational new employment positions over the next five years.

Alongside this new expansion in Gosselies, Catalent will also offer commercial-scale pDNA production capabilities at its Rockville, MD, facility with the addition of 500-liter scale bioreactor capacity.

“Plasmid DNA manufacturing is a critical component to many biological therapeutics, including viral vectors, mRNA, and cellular therapies. This investment allows Catalent to support these programs from development through to CGMP commercial production, offering the full horizontal supply chain,” said Manja Boerman, Ph.D., President, Catalent Cell & Gene Therapy. She added, “The Center of Excellence we have established in Belgium brings critical experience and expertise together on one campus, allowing for key synergies to best support our customers.”