Ventria Bioscience will double biomanufacturing capacity for therapeutic proteins, reagents and cell culture products.
Ventria Bioscience Inc. announced an expansion of biomanufacturing and laboratory facilities to roughly double Ventria’s capacity for production of recombinant proteins. The company broke ground today on the expansion of its molecular biology lab, greenhouses, process development and analytical lab, and processing capacity in Junction City, Kansas. Ventria’s proprietary ExpressTec platform for biomanufacturing produces biological products known for purity, safety and cost-effectiveness.
Ventria is developing a promising pipeline of novel therapeutic proteins for potential treatment of human diseases. In addition, Ventria manufactures high-quality, defined, animal-free reagents and cell culture products, marketed globally by its InVitria division and leading laboratory supply distributors. Partnering with pharmaceutical and biotech companies, Ventria also supplies a variety of recombinant proteins for development as potential new drugs.
“We are very pleased to announce this expansion. As Ventria’s business continues to grow, we are excited about serving our customers and partners globally, as well as contributing to the vibrant economy of Junction City and central Kansas,” said Scott E. Deeter, president and chief executive officer of Ventria. “The proven effectiveness of Ventria’s unique technology for biomanufacturing is gaining recognition in our industry, and Ventria’s pipeline of therapeutic proteins has the potential to make a real difference in people’s health in the future.”
Ventria’s therapeutic development effort focuses on an unmet need for safer and more effective treatments for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), characterized by chronic inflammation in the digestive tract, generally as ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease. Both can cause debilitating diarrhea, pain, fatigue, weight loss and sometimes life-threatening complications. An estimated 1.6 million people in the United States and 2.2 million in Europe suffer from IBD, according to the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America, and the European Crohn’s and Colitis Organization.
Construction on the 3,000-square-foot addition to Ventria’s facilities, representing an investment of more than $1.5 million, will begin immediately. Ventria expects its local workforce to grow by more than 50 percent, with several new employees already on board for the expansion.
The general contractor for the project is KBS Constructors, Inc., based in Topeka and leading this project from its Manhattan, Kansas, office; the architect-engineer is BG Consultants, Manhattan; and the greenhouse contractor is Stuppy Greenhouse, North Kansas City, Missouri.
(Source: Ventria Bioscience Inc.)
