Akron Bio says the facility in Sarasota will support the growing demand for gene therapies and vaccines.

In March 2020, Akron Bio – a supplier of biomanufacturing media and consumables – acquired a 60,000 square-foot biomanufacturing plant from Cambryn Biologics for an undisclosed fee.

At the time, the firm told us that “with only minor adaptations, this plant will allow us to rapidly scale our existing products such as cGMP cytokines and media, while also establishing new lines of business such as cGMP plasmid manufacturing.”

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Two years on, and the firm has made good on the cGMP plasmid manufacturing side and launched a facility at the site designed to feed the demands in the gene therapy and vaccine markets.

“The new site will support an increasing clinical development pipeline by relieving and securing industry supply,” the firm said in a statement. “Akron Bio continues to set industry standards, in collaboration with global standard organizations and therapeutic providers, to ensure consistency, efficacy and safety of these advanced therapies.”

To support the new facility, Akron will double the workforce at Sarasota to more than 100 by the end of 2022.

“We are excited that Akron Bio has continued to demonstrate its commitment to Florida by developing a biomanufacturing workforce in Sarasota, further establishing Florida’s position at the forefront of the life sciences industry,” stated Nancy Bryan, CEO of BioFlorida, an advocacy group for Florida’s life sciences industry.