Gene and Cell Therapy Manufacturing Facility Opens in North Carolina

bluebird bio, Inc's first wholly owned manufacturing facility opened in Durham, N.C. on March 22. The company, which is based in Cambridge, Mass., is researching cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy, sickle cell disease, transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia and multiple myeloma using three gene therapy technologies: gene addition, cell therapy, and megaTAL-enabled gene editing.
The new facility will produce a lentiviral vector for the company’s investigational gene and cell therapies, including bb2121 and bb21217 for the treatment of multiple myeloma and potentially LentiGlobin for the treatment of transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia TDT and sickle cell disease. Currently, bluebird employs approximately 50 scientists, engineers, manufacturing, and operations personnel at the facility and is on track to grow to approximately 70 employees by the end of 2019.