FUJIFILM Corp. and the Center for Advanced Biological Innovation and Manufacturing (CABIM), have secured $76 million in financing and signed a lease for a 40,000 square-foot site in Watertown, MA. The Center will advance research and development in cell and gene therapy, gene editing, immunotherapy, and biotechnology. 
 
FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies, FUJIFILM’s Bio CDMO subsidiary, will provide GMP contract process development and manufacturing services as part of its role in the new manufacturing and innovation center.
 
CABIM aims to help advance new therapeutics, medicines, and technologies through an industry-academia research and development consortium, established with an equal investment from Fujifilm, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cytiva (formerly part of GE Healthcare Life Sciences), and Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. The consortium will work with other collaborators including Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital, and MilliporeSigma.
 
The manufacturing facility is planning for eight cleanrooms, with a configuration that will produce both cell and viral vector products within its physical space. The site will also offer quality control, lab, office, and convening space to facilitate collaborations. The Center will also focus on developing a pipeline of talent in the field of biopharmaceutical manufacturing.
 
The $76 million fundraising will contribute to the build of the space, support 40 full-time employees, and will maintain the Center’s daily operations, scheduled begin operations in early 2022.
 
On January 4, FUJIFILM announced a new, separate state-of-the-art $40 million viral vector and advanced therapy facility in the greater-Boston area. The company also continues to invest in growing its CDMO business across several modalities including microbial and cell culture, with a capital investment of $2 billion to build a large-scale cell culture manufacturing facility in the U.S.