GE Healthcare and Germfree are joining forces to develop a fully integrated, expandable manufacturing solution for emerging biotherapeutics, including gene therapy.
 
Current market indicators predict a compound annual growth rate of more than 36% in the cell and gene therapy market during 2019-2025. With more than 700 cell and gene therapies currently in clinical trials, demand exceeds supply. The collaboration with Germfree represents a significant contribution to increase capacity and capability in the gene therapy market.
 
The manufacturing solution will feature a Germfree modular bioprocessing environment based on GE Healthcare’s proprietary design and equipped with FlexFactory, GE Healthcare’s integrated single-use biomanufacturing platform. This will be the latest addition to GE Healthcare’s KUBio prefabricated manufacturing facility offering.
 
“With Germfree, we will bring reliable and scalable technologies for modular solutions to the gene therapy space,” said Olivier Loeillot, general manager, bioprocess, GE Healthcare. “Modular capabilities can reduce timelines, lower capital and operating costs, as well as give flexibility for potential expansion.”
 
Carol Houts, vice president, quality and business strategy, said, “The collaboration with GE Healthcare provides rapidly deployable process-ready cleanroom and bioprocessing platforms to an industry where resource constraints limit the progress of emerging biotherapeutics. Germfree has longstanding global expertise in producing biocontainment environments and biotherapeutics cleanroom solutions.”
 
Germfree is a biotech company globally recognized for its manufacturing of process ready cleanroom facilities. The solution developed by Germfree and GE Healthcare will provide tools and technology for biomanufacturing in an integrated and flexible Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) environment. This is expected to speed novel therapies to market and accelerate the accessibility of personalized medicines.