Sartorius opens $160M cell and gene therapy components center in Germany

Sartorius, a life sciences equipment and services company headquartered in Göttingen, Germany, has opened a new competence center in Freiburg, Germany, dedicated to the development and production of quality-critical materials for the cell and gene therapy market, including cytokines and growth factors.

The facility covers approximately 18,000 square meters — roughly 194,000 square feet — and can accommodate up to 180 employees, according to the announcement. The site meets GMP quality standards and operates entirely without fossil fuels, using geothermal energy for heating, well water for cooling, and solar panels for electricity generation, the company said. The facility has received gold pre-certification from the German Sustainable Building Council.

The Freiburg site is operated by Sartorius CellGenix, which Sartorius acquired a majority stake in 2021 and fully integrated into the Sartorius Group in early 2026. Over the past five years, the number of employees at the site has nearly doubled to approximately 140 people, according to the company.

René Fáber, head of the bioprocess solutions division and member of the Sartorius executive board, said in a statement the expanded Freiburg capacity will allow the company to respond more flexibly to demand from biopharma customers and support faster, more efficient delivery of cell and gene therapies to patients.

The Freiburg opening follows Sartorius’s recent launch of its Eveo cell therapy platform, an integrated, closed system for autologous cell therapy production that combines cell selection, gene modification, expansion, and final formulation into a modular platform.