January 10, 2023

Cell And Gene Therapy:  Technologies, Manufacturing Equipment, And Design Considerations

Dr. Abhirath Parikh, Fluor Research and & Development engineer with advanced degrees in Chemical and Biological engineering from State University of New York At Buffalo will be speaking on this topic.

Over the past decade, cell and gene therapies (CGTs) have gained traction in manifesting their promise to offer therapies for diseases previously untreatable by traditional means. The promise of cell and gene therapies was not only to address unmet clinical needs but to tackle the entire gamut of debilitating diseases, ageing-related disorders, degeneration and permanent damage to organ systems by enabling a regenerative approach and correcting deficiencies at the molecular and genetic level. Widespread efforts in research and development of CGTs over the past few decades have paved way to overcome the technical challenges and develop methods and tools required for clinical and commercial implementation of these therapies. CGTs have started to emerge in the commercial space and will gain momentum over the next 1-2 decades with surges in a large number of new therapies requiring clinical and commercial manufacturing.

In this presentation, we will broadly categorize the different types of CGTs, define the typical manufacturing process and how that affects equipment selection. Deriving from current commercial manufacturing plants, we will then take a closer look at the major pieces of equipment, instruments, and their role in the process. To understand implications for site design, we will next explore how the CGT equipment connect to each other, product flows, any operation considerations and special utility requirements. We will conclude by dabbing our feet into the evolution and transition of technologies, equipment and sites that are taking place, and the outlook on what the next generation facility should look like that pharmaceutical companies and CMOs may anticipate as they evaluate their construction plans for clinical and commercial manufacturing.

Meeting was held at the Jacobs Engineering Offices - in Greenville, SC and in ZOOM Room 624 625 2022

17 persons attended and a meeting recording is available