Lonza is expanding its viral-based therapeutics business with the construction of a new, cGMP clean room at its Houston, TX operations. Construction and validation of the expansion is expected to be complete in early 2012.

The clean room will offer large-scale capacity to support late-stage viral vaccine and gene therapy projects. It will use disposable process systems to support production and fill/finish operations of as many as 2,000 liters. The expansion is part of an effort to reduce clients’ wait times for clean room capacity with the ability to run multiple cGMP operations simultaneously.

“We are very pleased with the growing number of opportunities we are seeing in the viral vaccine and viral vector sector,” said David Enloe, Head of Lonza’s viral-based therapeutics unit. “This investment only furthers our commitment to a leadership position in this exciting space of new therapeutics and vaccines.”