Gilead to build viral vector facility to strengthen cell therapy capabilities

Kite, a Gilead company, announced plans for a new 67,000-square-foot facility in Oceanside, California, that is dedicated to the development and manufacturing of viral vectors. Viral vectors are a critical starting material in the production of cell therapies. The new site builds on Kite’s existing manufacturing capabilities to deliver cell therapies for people with cancer, including Yescarta (axicabtagene ciloleucel), Kite’s first commercially available chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cell therapy.

"The new viral vector facility in Oceanside is an example of our continued investment in achieving technical advances that will help meet the needs of people living with cancer today and in the future,” said Tim Moore, executive vice president of technical operations at Kite. "Viral vectors are one of the key components in cell therapy production, however, the industry’s current development and manufacturing capabilities are not widely established and supply is limited."

Kite’s facility will be constructed within an existing Gilead biologics operations facility in Oceanside and will become part of Kite’s commercial manufacturing network that includes sites in California, Maryland and the Netherlands.

Read the full Kite release