Bionova opens Texas pDNA facility to expand cell and gene therapy support

Bionova Scientific, a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) and subsidiary of Japan-based Asahi Kasei, has opened a 10,000-square-foot plasmid DNA (pDNA) development and production facility in The Woodlands, Texas.

Located less than 30 miles north of Houston, the site will design, develop and manufacture research-grade pDNA for cell and gene therapy applications. Bionova Scientific said it plans to begin clinical to commercial-scale Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) production of pDNA by the fourth quarter of 2025.

Plasmid DNA is a key starting material for advanced therapeutics, including mRNA and viral vector-based therapies. The company said adding pDNA capabilities builds on its existing antibody and protein production services at its recently expanded flagship facility in Fremont, California.

Bionova Scientific President and Chair Darren Head in a statement said the facility was developed in response to demand from the cell and gene therapy sector and that its location offers proximity to a growing number of U.S.-based companies in the field.

The company is also installing its third FlexFactory platform from Cytiva at the Texas facility to support genomic medicine manufacturing, Cytiva announced in June. The equipment is scheduled for delivery in the third quarter of 2025 and is intended to help accelerate Bionova’s production processes for cell and gene therapies, as well as DNA/RNA-based and recombinant protein therapeutics. Bionova is maintaining its core monoclonal antibody business alongside the new advanced therapy capabilities, according to Cytiva.

Bionova is part of Asahi Kasei’s Life Science group, which the parent company said is prioritizing investment in virus filtration, contract research testing, and CDMO businesses as part of its medium-term management plan.