Boxborough, MA – DPS Group, a privately-owned, global engineering, procurement, construction management and validation (EPCMV) firm, has been selected by Vibalogics, a global contract development and manufacturing organization, to design a new, 110,000sf late-phase clinical and commercial manufacturing facility at 1414 Massachusetts Ave. in Boxborough.
Equipped with state-of the-art technology and the ability to support a significant capacity increase, including 2000L scale bioreactors and additional fill-finish capabilities, the new $150 million facility is expected to be operational by the second half of 2021.
The facility incorporates the use of traditional on site construction methods alongside turnkey modular cleanrooms for the cGMP suites. DPS worked closely with Vibalogics and cleanroom vendor Germfree throughout the project to deliver a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility with maximum cost and schedule efficiency with no compromise on quality, functionality, and flexibility.
The building previously served as the East Coast R&D headquarters for Cisco Systems. DPS was engaged in June 2020 to provide architectural and engineering concept, basis of design, detail design, and construction administration services for converting the facility for cGMP use.
Site development will include spaces for office and administration, QC/R&D laboratory, warehousing, GMP, utilities, and parking to support 100 employees. The facility will be built to meet the Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines for biosafety level 2 Large Scale (BSL-2LS).
“DPS has designed a space for us which offers room for multiple drug substance suites, ensuring we can be flexible and efficient, to meet the current and future demands for our customers,” said Tom Hochuli, CEO at Vibalogics.
Vibalogics specializes in the production of oncolytic viruses, viral vector vaccines and viral vector gene therapy products. In May 2020, the company was selected by Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies, a Johnson & Johnson company, as one of its manufacturing partners for its investigational COVID-19 vaccine candidate.
