The Cell Therapy Catapult, which is focused on the development of the UK cell therapy industry to increase the nation’s health and wealth, is pleased to announce that it has appointed PM Group as Design and Engineering Consultant for the new large-scale Cell Therapy Manufacturing Centre.
PM Group has expertise in the development of biological facilities globally, having worked on both new and retrofitted centres in the public and private sectors. Concept design for the facility, which is expected to open in 2017, has begun and will play a key role in site selection by the end of 2014.
Responding to the criteria outlined in the User Requirement Brief1, PM Group will generate an operational concept design incorporating factors such as the physical requirements of the manufacturing centre and an understanding of the supporting infrastructure around it. The process will also involve consultations with key stakeholders, and lead to the generation of a user requirement specification.
Keith Thompson, CEO of the Cell Therapy Catapult, said, ‘PM Group has a strong track record in the design of innovative biological facilities, and we’re delighted to appoint it to work with us on the Cell Therapy Manufacturing Centre. The timetable for the development of this exciting new centre is on track, with the location search and selection process well underway.’
Peter Farrelly, PM Group UK Managing Director said, ‘The new Cell Therapy Manufacturing Centre is a significant development for the UK cell therapy industry, and we’re delighted to be involved in this prestigious project. With expertise in the development of facility concept designs across a range of cell and gene-modified therapies, we look forward to helping the Cell Therapy Catapult deliver a flexible, future-proofed and commercially successful manufacturing centre.’
1 More details on the User Requirement Brief and manufacturing centre timetable can be found here.