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Building on a long history of cellular therapy development and buoyed by the advancement of significant programs in cellular immunotherapy, Celgene completed the first phase of a renovation at its Summit West campus that will house a state-of-the-art cellular immunotherapy manufacturing center.

The 135,000 square-foot facility was completed months ahead of the original plan and will enable the company to expand investigational programs and eventually the potential commercial launch related to bb2121, its chimeric antigen receptor (CAR T) therapy being developed for certain multiple myeloma patients in conjunction with its partner bluebird bio. With CAR T technology, immune cells are removed from a patient, genetically modified and multiplied and placed back into a patient to create an individualized therapy.

“We wanted to ensure that we had a patient-centric model that supports our goal of flawless execution and rapid, compliant production,” said Mayo Pujols, Vice President of CAR T Manufacturing and Technology for Celgene. “We aim to see every patient getting their therapy back in that manner and so it made sense for us to build the capability in house.”

Celgene has a long history of cellular therapy development through its Celgene Cellular Therapeutics business that investigated placenta-derived and other stem cell therapies in multiple diseases. Celgene’s expertise and capabilities in cell therapy development and manufacturing have continued to be leveraged at its facility in Warren, NJ, where bb2121 has been manufactured thus far for clinical trials.

“We are proud to be able to contribute to the mission of improving the lives of patients with multiple myeloma,” said Greg Russotti, Ph.D., Celgene’s Vice President of Cell Therapy Process and Analytical Development. “Due to the infrastructure that we have been able to build over the years and the focus and investment from our leadership in cellular therapy processes and manufacturing, we are well-positioned to help accelerate this important area of science.”

In recent years, Celgene has expanded its commitment to this important research through multiple partnerships in the area of cellular immunotherapy. With bluebird, the company is collaborating to develop bb2121 as a potential therapy for previously treated multiple myeloma patients who express b-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) – bringing together two of Celgene’s historical areas of expertise in cellular therapy and multiple myeloma. Additionally, the company has partnered with Juno Therapeutics to develop CAR T therapies targeting the CD19 protein, and recently announced a definitive agreement to acquire Juno. These therapies are part of a potential new wave of treatments that aim to engage the patients’ immune systems to help identify and fight cancers.

Importantly, the establishment of this new facility reinforces Celgene’s growth in the city of Summit and the strong relationship with the community and state of New Jersey that may result in more than 500 new jobs over the next three years. For more information – visit our CAR T careers page at http://www.celgene.com/careers/car-t-opportunities/

“Each individual involved in this project, from the design, to the construction, to the activities to come, has pushed forward with the idea that what we do here may have a significant impact on the lives of patients,” said Joanne Beck, Ph.D., Celgene’s Executive Vice President, Global Pharmaceutical Development and Operations. “We are partnering with many state and national organizations, such as the New Jersey Innovation Institute, to identify, hire and train the workforce needed to staff this facility. We see it as a huge competitive advantage to be based here, in the State of New Jersey, having access to both state and national talent pools and to the disruptive innovations needed to bring this exciting new technology forward.”

BB2121 and the CAR T therapies targeting the CD19 protein are investigational therapies.  Neither is approved for any indication by any regulatory authority.