CDMO GeneFab has announced a transaction with Senti Biosciences, in which GeneFab would sublease Senti Bio’s current good manufacturing practice facility, a portion of which is subject to certain conditions.
In addition, pursuant to the transaction, GeneFab would acquire Senti Bio’s chemistry, manufacturing, and controls (CMC) capabilities for aggregate deal consideration of approximately $38 million. As part of the transaction, departing Senti Bio Co-Founder and CTO, Philip Lee, PhD, will assume the role of CEO of GeneFab.
GeneFab has an extensive technology platform and know-how spanning early stage product design, technical development and GMP production. The Company will operate from a 92,000 sqft state-of-the-art cGMP manufacturing facility in Alameda, California that includes 42,000 sqft dedicated to the manufacturing of innovative Phase 1/2 clinical trial materials.
The facility has additional capacity to support complex cell and gene therapy manufacturing, including allogeneic and autologous cell therapy, viral vector and cell banking.
Celadon Partners has been an active investor in supply chain transformation, and I am very excited about the opportunity to support GeneFab to lead the future of biomanufacturing
“The formation of GeneFab is an exciting step forward to accelerate the design, development and manufacturing of innovative genetic medicines. Our unique capabilities enable us to provide specialised synthetic biology and manufacturing expertise to a wide range of cell and gene therapy companies,” said Dr Lee, CEO of GeneFab. “As an extension of our customers' teams, we believe that our advanced capabilities and expertise will enable the translation of scientific innovation into tangible treatments, and help our customers bring life-changing therapies to patients in need.”
The Alameda-based facility was initiated by Senti Bio in 2021 as a customised end-to-end clinical and commercial-scale cell therapy manufacturing solution; the buildout was completed earlier this year. With Celadon Partners’ backing, GeneFab will acquire the facility (via a sublease) and will employ approximately 50 employees, including experts in cell therapy, CMC and synthetic biology.
GeneFab will be supporting the clinical manufacturing of Senti Bio’s off-the-shelf chimeric antigen receptor natural killer cell (CAR-NK) pipeline through a service contract.
“Celadon Partners has been an active investor in supply chain transformation, and I am very excited about the opportunity to support GeneFab to lead the future of biomanufacturing. Next generation cell and gene therapies are poised to deliver 'miracle medicines' — GeneFab accelerates that objective and enables its clients to focus capital on delivering future milestones," said Donald Tang, Managing Partner at Celadon Partners.
Jonathan Su, MD at Celadon Partners, added: "GeneFab’s capability to offer end-to-end cell and gene therapy development and manufacturing enables the Company to stand at the forefront of innovation, supporting drug developers at every stage of their journey. We look forward to GeneFab's involvement in groundbreaking treatments that may heal, restore and revolutionise the lives of patients.”