GeneDesign, a wholly owned Ajinomoto company and provider of custom oligonucleotides for the biopharma industry, has joined Ajinomoto Bio-Pharma Services, becoming part of the contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO).
 
The integration of GeneDesign’s services offerings with Aji Bio-Pharma’s small and large molecule capabilities in the U.S., Belgium and India strengthens the CDMO’s capabilities.
 
In addition, on April 5th, the company celebrated the grand opening of an approximately 2000 square meter building, expanding oligonucleotide synthesis and supply capabilities (µg to 10 kg) to support customer needs.
 
The new development center, located on the Osaka campus, provides a Class 100,000 clean area for cGMP manufacturing of oligonucleotide APIs, a multipurpose room to custom synthesize heavily modified oligonucleotides, and the world’s largest solid phase oligonucleotide synthesizer, OligoProcess, the first of this type of machine to be installed in Japan. The development center also houses process development labs to support manufacturing activities and R&D labs for the development of novel oligonucleotide manufacturing technologies.
 
“The integration of GeneDesign into Aji Bio-Pharma allows us to more seamlessly support our biopharmaceutical customers globally with a wide range of service offerings in one consolidated supply chain,” said David Enloe, president and chief executive officer, Ajinomoto Bio-Pharma Services. “Additionally, the opening of the new oligonucleotide API development center furthers our commitment to enhancing our service offerings and responsiveness to our customers’ needs.”
 
Kazuhiko Yuyama, chief executive officer, GeneDesign, said, “We are extremely pleased to now be a part of the Aji Bio-Pharma. Now, as part of a global CDMO, and with the addition of our new oligonucleotide API development center, we can further contribute to the health and well-being of patients worldwide.”