Great Reasons: future growth sectors in the region
Date published:
You may not know yet, but the North East of England already plays a critical role in the global Life Science Industry; saving, improving and extending patient lives in every corner of the world. Currently across the UK, nearly 250,000 people are employed in this rapidly-growing sector, with a turnover of £74bn each year[1]. At the heart of these efforts, with activities expanding across the Tees Valley in Wilton, Billingham and Darlington, FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies proudly develops and manufactures such complex medicines.
FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies is a world-leading Contract Development and Manufacturing Organisation (CDMO), offering a range of biopharmaceutical process development, manufacturing and associated capabilities to the Life Science industry. They play a key role in the biopharmaceutical ecosystem to progress drugs from discovery to patient administration in a safe and regulatory-approved manor. In partnership with our clients we produce life-saving medicines, and have done so for the last two decades in this region!
These are complex processes. The Life Science industry utilises proteins or cell-based molecules as the therapy itself. They are typically produced through the genetic engineering of a mammalian or microbial cell, modified by the recombinant insertion of a gene of interest to ‘instruct’ the host cell to biologically produce the target drug molecule. Despite their molecular complexity, these medicines offer significant therapeutic value and specificity, treating many unmet medical needs, whilst offering reduced side-effects and an improved standard of living.
A very visible example of such a rapidly-emerging, unexpected and unmet need was the COVID-19 virus. Using technical expertise and production capabilities developed over the last 25 years within the company, activities at FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies are ongoing to manufacture millions of doses of a COVID-19 vaccine on behalf of a client, much for distribution in the UK, made right here in Teesside in the North East[2].
In an earlier blog in this series[3], Mike Lyons, Global CFO for FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies, shared the exciting £100M+ investment plans the company has for our region. Many of these investments are driven by the science, innovation and manufacturing demand and expertise of the people employed and living within the North East of England. Such investments offer opportunity to expand current world-leading services and capabilities, together with developing new and exciting areas of science and innovation. These investments ensure we continue to produce state-of-the-art medicines and therapies here on Teesside, on behalf of the local and global patients we serve.
One such emerging class of next-generation medicinal therapeutics is known as Gene Therapy. This rapidly-growing area of science involves altering the genes inside your body’s cells in an effort to treat or stop disease. The fundamental development and production of these new drugs are similar to the exiting medicines being produced within the FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies UK facilities, but specific investments in capabilities, equipment, people, skills and training have been necessary. The company already offers such capabilities in one of their US facilities in Texas, however this was the first investment to service the rapidly growing European gene therapy market demand[4], and I am proud that these investments were targeted to the North East of England over other areas of the UK and beyond.
One of my favourite aspects of working at FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies is the opportunity to work in partnership, both internally with my colleagues, but also externally with our clients, suppliers, and academic and not-for-profit institutes to advance our science and industry. One such collaboration is the Northern Bio-Accelerator Partnership[5]. This is a strategic partnership between the National Horizons Centre at Teesside University, the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) and FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies. The initiative aims to create a biopharmaceutical hub in the North East of the UK. Together, the hub provides basic and applied research, skills and talent development, through to biopharmaceutical production scale-up and ultimately, the commercial manufacture of life changing medicines. Gene Therapy provides a key target opportunity for this partnership to change patients’ lives.
FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies has a goal to ‘Advance Tomorrow’s Medicines’; such investments in the North East, with an emphasis towards the latest innovations in biomanufacturing such as Gene Therapy, indicates how critical the region is within the national and international Life Science sector. We are embarking on an exciting time for the industry and region, and the future is bright for further growth, investment and innovation.
Jonathan Haigh
[1] Department for International Trade, “Invest in UK Life Science Factsheet (2021)”, https://directory-cms-public.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/Invest_in_UK_Life_Sciences_factsheet_R89kAyr.pdf
[2] FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies, “Novavax and UK Government announce collaboration and purchase agreement for Novavax’ COVID-19 Vaccine candidate”, 14th August, 2020, accessed 25th August, 2021, https://fujifilmdiosynth.com/about-us/press-releases/novavax-and-uk-government-announce-collaboration-and-purchase-agreement-for-novavax-covid-19-vaccine-candidate/
[3] North East England Chamber of Commerce, “Great Reasons to do business in the NE: FUJIFILM”, 15th April, 2021, accessed 23rd August, 2021, https://www.neechamber.co.uk/great-reasons-to-do-business-in-the-ne-fujifilm/
[4] FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies, “FUJIFILM to expand its viral vector CDMO services to the UK”, 07th October, 2020, accessed 23rd August, 2021, https://fujifilmdiosynth.com/about-us/press-releases/fujifilm-to-expand-its-viral-vector-cdmo-services-to-the-uk/
[5] Centre for Process Innovation, “Northern Bio-Accelerator Partnership to create bioscience hub in the Tees Valley”, 14th December, 2020, accessed 23rd August, 2021, https://www.uk-cpi.com/news/northern-bio-accelerator-partnership-to-create-bioscience-hub-in-the-tees-valley