A new cell and gene therapy manufacturing facility has been formally opened at BioQuarter. The BioCube will be an additional home to RoslinCT which is one of the leaders in this area of science.
The business was established in 2006 as a spin-out from the Roslin Institute, known best for its work in cloning Dolly the sheep, and now develops therapies and cures for people who have some of the most debilitating medical conditions.
RoslinCT has hired 60 people in the past year and will recruit 30 more before the end of this year. The company is chaired by Ian McCubbin, CBE, who has worked in the industry for more than 30 years and who was appointed as a member of the UK government’s vaccine taskforce.
Mr McCubbin said: “RoslinCT has a proven track-record in hiring many talented scientists to do some of the most ground-breaking manufacturing work in the cell and gene therapies space, pushing the boundaries in this field while developing deep partnerships with clients. That world-class team now has a world-class facility in which it can both work and learn, ensuring we continue to invest in developing our people and their knowledge and expertise to the benefit of our clients and, ultimately, patients living with a range of conditions.”
The new 1,600 square metre facility will add on to the existing spaces occupied by the pioneering company and will be used as a training academy.
Sir Patrick Vallance, Chief Scientific Adviser to the UK Government, said: “Cell therapies and genetically-modified cell therapies are huge advances for medicine which are already making a profound difference to the lives of patients, many of them children. The ability to genetically manipulate cells and let them do the work – to become the therapy themselves – is going to transform medicine in a number of areas and in a number of different ways, providing life-changing opportunities for the treatment of genetic and other disorders.
“I couldn’t be more excited about the prospect of this new facility and its ability to enhance the potential of the UK as a manufacturing base for these high-tech therapies that will change everything from how we approach cancer treatments to how we deal with rare genetic diseases. The BioCube is an important new part of the overall UK landscape and I offer my congratulations to RoslinCT on this significant step in what is a very important mission.”
Janet Downie, Chief Executive of RoslinCT, said: “It has been my vision to create a world leading CDMO here in Edinburgh and the opening of the BioCube is just the first step in the significant expansion of the already thriving business, both here in Edinburgh and internationally. We have doubled in size within the last 12 months and it is a great pleasure to lead such a talented and inspirational team. I am proud of what we have achieved to date and excited to see the life changing therapies that will be produced from the BioCube in the coming years with our clients, and the positive impact that will have on patients.”
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