DSM, Crucell Establish U.S. R&D Center, Name Joint Venture CEO

PharmaManufacturing.com
06/28/2006

Dutch biotechnology company Crucell N.V. and its technology partner DSM Biologics BV, a business unit of Royal DSM N.V., announced June 28 that Dr. Marco Cacciuttolo has accepted the position of chief executive officer of their joint PER.C6 R&D Center, which will be located in Cambridge, Mass.

Dr. Cacciuttolo joins the venture with over 10 years of experience in technical operations within the biotech and pharmaceutical industries. He has occupied positions of increasing responsibility at MedImmune, Inc., and most recently at Medarex, Inc. as the vice president of Technical Operations. Dr. Cacciuttolo received his Ph.D. in Biochemical Engineering from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and his B.S. in Biochemical Engineering from the Catholic University of Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile.

The Cambridge, Mass. location for the R&D center was specifically selected due to its outstanding scientific resources and world-class talent pool.

"We are delighted to bring Marco Cacciuttolo on board as CEO. He has a strong track record in the biotech industry, and will provide strong leadership to the technology venture," said Dr. Leendert Staal, president and CEO of DSM Pharmaceutical Products. "We are excited with the move to the Boston area, which marks an important next step in the development of our joint venture with Crucell."

The new R&D center will specialize in the further development of the PER.C6 human cell line to make it the premier system for the expression of recombinant pharmaceutical proteins. This center of excellence will provide a fully integrated technology platform and turn-key solutions for the production of pharmaceutical proteins to the biotech industry and the scientific community. This PER.C6 technology platform will comprise cell line generation technology, tailored cell culture media, fermentation processes, equipment design, scale-up, technology transfer, and regulatory support. The R&D center will have dedicated space for PER.C6 users to experience the technology hands-on.

The fit-out of the new center will take place over the coming months. Recruitment of some 50 scientific and support staff has started and commencement of operations is expected before the end of 2006.

For more information on Crucell, visit www.crucell.com. To learn more about DSM Biologics, visit www.dsmbiologics.com.