The new 244,000ft² cell therapy manufacturing facility is planned to be located on the company’s existing Devens campus

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The new cell therapy manufacturing facility. (Credit: Bristol-Myers Squibb Company.)

Bristol Myers Squibb has commenced construction of its new cell therapy manufacturing facility in Devens, Massachusetts of the US.

Located on the company’s existing Devens campus, the new 244,000ft2 cell therapy facility will support the clinical and commercial manufacturing of cell therapies for patients with aggressive haematological cancers.

The existing Devens campus facilitates process development, clinical manufacturing and commercial manufacturing for biologics medicines.

Bristol Myers said that manufacturing cell therapies involves both operational and technical complexity, as they are customised for each individual, and uses patient’s own T cells as precursor material.

Bristol Myers Squibb cell therapy development and operations head Ann Lee said: “Bristol Myers Squibb is at the forefront of manufacturing innovations, and we are proud that our new cell therapy facility in the Boston area will include many next-generation technologies and the latest integrated digital systems.

“Bristol Myers Squibb has designed a reliable manufacturing and global supply chain network comprised of internal manufacturing facilities, which include Bothell, Wash., Summit, N.J., and Warren, N.J. in the U.S., as well as external manufacturing facilities in the U.S., Europe and Japan.”

The new manufacturing facility is the latest investment from Bristol Myers Squibb as part of the global expansion of its manufacturing network.

It adds to the company’s already established cell therapy manufacturing network with advanced technologies and highly trained manufacturing teams.

Also, the facility offers career development for employees across biologics and cell therapies on a single campus, providing them with all existing campus amenities.

The company said that it is planning to hire several hundred employees in the years to come, in order to support the new operations.

BMS also operates two research and development facilities in Cambridge, Massachusetts and will be bringing those two sites together into a new building at Cambridge Crossing in 2023.