Genezen Laboratories Inc., a cell and gene therapy contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) focused on early-phase process development, vector production, and analytical testing services, has received a majority investment from Ampersand Capital Partners, a private equity firm specializing in growth equity investments in the healthcare sector.
 
Ampersand’s investment will be used to complete the construction of the company’s 25,000 square foot cGMP-compliant lentiviral vector production facility, which will also offer a full suite of process development and analytical capabilities.
 
New Manufacturing Facility
 
Genezen’s manufacturing facility, located north of Indianapolis in Fishers, IN, will leverage the company’s historical expertise in lentiviral vector production and development of cell and gene therapy products from preclinical through Phase I/II clinical development. The building will include multiple cGMP production suites, complete downstream processing and packaging capabilities, and comprehensive process development and analytical testing facilities.
 
The process development laboratory will offer a range of customized production and analytical services, including those supporting cGMP and commercial readiness, upstream and downstream process improvements, research grade and preclinical vector production, and analytical assay development and validation. Analytical testing services, including Recombinant Competent Lentivirus testing (RCL), vector stability testing, and safety and sterility testing, will also be available.
 
The company will round out its complete platform of cell and gene therapy CDMO services by continuing to offer cell manufacturing and patient sample testing through its existing academic partnerships.
 
Bill Vincent, chairman and CEO of Genezen commented, “We are extremely pleased to be partnering with Ampersand in catalyzing the next phase of Genezen’s growth. Our recognized expertise in the lentiviral vector platform, combined with Ampersand’s unique cell and gene therapy CDMO experience, makes for a powerful combination. We look forward to providing a differentiated offering that will be critical in helping life-changing therapeutics reach the patients who need them.”
 
David Anderson, general partner at Ampersand, added, “Given the ongoing growth of the cell and gene therapy sector, and the continued supply/demand imbalance in cGMP manufacturing, we are excited to partner with another specialized service provider in the space. We look forward to working with the Genezen team to leverage our deep experience with cell and gene therapy CDMOs to establish a leading platform in this revolutionary healthcare market.”