Cellipont Bioservices, a cell therapy contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), announced a strategic debt facility investment from OrbiMed, a healthcare investment firm.

The investment will be used by Cellipont to fully finance the previously announced state-of-the-art commercial facility for cell therapies and gene-modified cell therapies in The Woodlands, TX.

“We are energized by this partnership with OrbiMed, which helps us to bring this world-class facility to completion in 2023,” said Deborah Wild, President and CEO of Cellipont. “Once completed, Cellipont will be uniquely positioned to offer technically superior, highly responsive outsourced contract development and GMP manufacturing services to innovative cell therapy companies. OrbiMed understands our vision, has a unique portfolio of life science companies, and was the ideal partner for Cellipont in this journey.”

The 76,000-square-foot facility will feature significant capabilities including process and analytical development (PD/AD) and manufacturing services for CAR-T, IPSC, MSC and other types of cell therapies. OrbiMed’s support will enable clients to take advantage of cutting-edge cleanrooms, promising technological innovations, and a team with deep scientific expertise in a best-in-class facility.

Matthew Rizzo, general partner of OrbiMed, said: “OrbiMed is excited to partner with Cellipont for their continued growth. Cellipont’s scientific expertise, state-of-the-art facilities, and unique capabilities were apparent to us throughout our debt process and we believe the Company is well prepared to capitalize on future demand as the cell and gene therapy CDMO market continues to grow and evolve.”

The new complex, which broke ground in November 2022, is specially designed to meet Cellipont’s agile manufacturing style that marries technical excellence and personal service to help clients get to target endpoints faster. 

“This expansion underscores our unwavering commitment to going above and beyond for our clients and patients,” said Darren Head, chairman of Cellipont. “We look forward to accelerating cell therapy innovation by offering our partners state-of-the-art facilities with the power to unlock life-changing medicines.”

The firm recently added two experienced executives to its commercial leadership team: Brian Walsh as senior vice President of business development, Aaron Solis as senior director of Business Development, and Tim Heher as CFO.