Avid opens early-phase biologics development center in California

Avid Bioservices, a biologics contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) headquartered in Tustin, California, has opened a 78,000-square-foot Early Phase Center of Excellence in Costa Mesa, California.

The new facility is intended to support early clinical programs and expand Avid’s development footprint, providing services from cell line development through commercial manufacturing. Capabilities at the site include cell line development, upstream and downstream process and analytical development, IND-enabling analytical method qualification and testing, early formulation development and characterization, as well as integrated tech transfer into the CDMO’s cGMP manufacturing facilities.

The company said the center was designed to align scientific, manufacturing, and quality systems with its commercial operations to reduce rework and enable a transition from preclinical development to commercial supply. The facility supports biologics including monoclonal antibodies, recombinant proteins, and other complex modalities, according to the announcement.

Avid’s Tustin campus includes more than 20,000 liters of single-use bioreactor capacity and has supported more than 575 batches, according to the company. The new early-phase center is now operational and accepting programs.

The expansion follows leadership and ownership changes late last year. In September, Avid appointed Kenneth Bilenberg as CEO after its $1.1 billion acquisition by GHO Capital and Ampersand Capital Partners. Bilenberg has said the company is focused on scaling U.S. biomanufacturing operations and strengthening its role as a development-to-commercial partner.