Algenex SL, a private biotechnology company, opened a new facility in Tres Cantos, Spain at an inauguration ceremony attended by the Spanish Minster of Science and innovation, Pedro Duque, the vice president of the Madrid Region (Comunidad de Madrid), Ignacio Aguado and representatives of the pharmaceutical industry in Spain. The new facility allows Algenex to produce up to 3.5kg of recombinant proteins, equivalent to around 100 million vaccine doses across animal and human health.
 
The facility comprises around 900m² of rearing and production areas, molecular laboratories and office space. It also incorporates two small suites that will be dedicated to commercial manufacturing. The first suite will be dedicated to the manufacturing of Algenex’ Baculovirus-based proteins, while the second suite will be dedicated to the inoculation of the Trichoplusia ni pupae, which are used as natural bioreactors in the production of Algenex’ proteins. GMP certification for these two suites is targeted for Q1 2021.
 
The new facility took five months to complete and cost under $2.3 million to build and is easily replicated to scale up production as required. This is in contrast to traditional bioreactor facilities, which require substantial capital expenditure and take two to three years to put in place. 
 
“We are pleased to inaugurate our new facility, which enables Algenex to significantly increase its capacity to provide protein production solutions to the healthcare industry across both animal and human health applications,” said Claudia Jiménez, CEO of Algenex. “The global COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the urgent need for the rapid production of large quantities of vaccine at an affordable cost and Algenex is ready to put its technology and expertise to work to provide an efficient, scalable and cost-effective manufacturing option that allows the implementation of timely and global vaccination campaigns.”
 
Pedro Duque said, “Algenex is a true success story for the Spanish science, technology and innovation system, having started as a spin-off from the National Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology, with support from the Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI). Research and innovation remains key to ending the COVID-19 pandemic and companies like Algenex, with its deep expertise and innovative technological approach to protein production for the production of vaccines, will play a central role in helping to ensure a sustainable recovery from COVID-19 and other pandemics that may affect future generations.”