Genentech has announced the construction of a new biologics manufacturing facility in Oceanside, California. The facility, located about 35 miles north of San Diego, will use digital technologies to make the production of medicines more efficient and environmentally friendly. The company hails the plant as one of the world’s most advanced commercial-scale biologics manufacturing facilities.…

Thanks to a donation from pharma industry veteran William D. Young, Purdue University has announced plans to launch a new institute dedicated to furthering pharmaceutical manufacturing to reduce costs and bolster access to new biotech drugs. The William D. Young Institute for Advanced Manufacturing of Pharmaceuticals is named after the eponymous chemical engineer, who graduated…

Vacaville, Calif. is home to a burgeoning biotech hub. And there’s more to Vacaville’s biomanufacturing industry than Genentech’s presence there. “Genentech is just one of the biotech companies to open in Vacaville,” said Don Burrus, the city’s director of economic development services. “We’ve had biomanufacturers here for almost 30 years.” Genentech set up shop in…

Agenus (Lexington, Mass.) has purchased 120 acres in the California Biomanufacturing Center located in Vacaville near Sacramento. Agenus specializes in immuno-oncology products, which span checkpoint antibodies, cell therapies, vaccines and adjuvants. Agenus purchased the parcels from A.G. Spanos, a housing developer. Vacaville is aiming to spur the growth of its biotech industry. Currently, the largest…