Mustang Bio, Inc., a Fortress Biotech, Inc. company developing immunotherapies based on chimeric antigen receptor engineered T cell (CAR T) technology, has entered into a lease agreement with the UMass Medicine Science Park in Worcester, MA, for a manufacturing facility to support the clinical development and commercialization of its CAR T product candidates. 

The facility is expected to be operational for the production of personalized CAR T therapies in 2018. Mustang anticipates initially building cell-processing capabilities to support its lead CAR T product candidates MB-101 in glioblastoma, and MB-102 in acute myeloid leukemia and blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm. 

Manuel Litchman, M.D., president and chief executive officer of Mustang, said, “Establishing top-notch manufacturing capabilities early on is essential to the long-term success of CAR T programs. Securing a facility in the UMass Medicine Science Park, one of the nation’s leading centers for biotechnology research and production, is significant, as it will enable us to recruit industry leaders in manufacturing. We are thrilled to announce this important milestone, which lays the foundation for the clinical development and potential commercialization of our CAR T pipeline, and may expedite manufacturing innovations to improve patient outcomes.”