Landmark Bio Opens Biomanufacturing Innovation Center in Watertown

Landmark Bio has announced the opening of its 44,000 square-foot, fully integrated development and manufacturing facility in Watertown. “This new state-of-the-art facility will bring together leading innovators from universities, research institutes, hospitals, and industries in the Greater Boston life science community,” said Alan M. Garber, M.D., Ph.D., chairman of Landmark Bio’s board of directors. “Landmark Bio will be a platform that enables groundbreaking ideas from our laboratories to be transformed into life-changing therapies…”

The new facility includes laboratory space for translational research and early development, process and analytical development and technology innovation. The biomanufacturing area is comprised of eight cleanrooms for cell therapies, genome editing, viral vector, mRNA and lipid nanoparticle production as well as fill and finish and in-house QC testing. In addition, Landmark Bio provides wraparound services such as drug development and regulatory consulting, program management and other support services.

The facility currently has about 60 staff members and will grow to more than 100 people in the coming years. “Landmark Bio’s continued growth is another demonstration of how our Commonwealth’s ecosystem of innovation and talent is positioning us at the leading edge of medical advancements,” said Massachusetts Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy.

Landmark Bio is a collective endeavor launched by leaders from academia, the life sciences industry, and world-renowned research hospitals to accelerate the development and industrialization of novel therapeutics. Inspired by recent advancements in cell and gene therapy, Landmark Bio was established to remove barriers in drug development, create accessible capability, expertise, and solutions, and offer a collaboration platform to advance manufacturing technologies for the new generation of medicines to come. Founding partners include Harvard University, MIT and Cytiva. Other collaborating institutions include Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Mass General Brigham, and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. (Source: Landmark Bio Website, 27 October, 2022)