Genea Biocells opens facility in USA

Australian stem cell company Genea Biocells has announced the expansion of its operations to the United States, this week opening a new facility in San Diego, California. According to the company’s general manager, Dr Uli Schmidt, the move is “the next step to grow Genea Biocells into a world-leading stem cell company”.

Located in the Torrey Pines Science Park, the new premises include office and laboratory space to accommodate its cell and culture media manufacturing, research services and R&D. It also houses over US$2 million worth of equipment, including sophisticated robotics and instrumentation for high-throughput/high-content screening, which is essential to Genea Biocells’ chemical biology approach and the research services it provides.

“The new facility not only places us directly into our main market, the USA, but also in the midst of one of the largest biotechnology clusters in the world,” said Dr Schmidt, with life science trade association BIOCOM stating that the San Diego area is home to more than 900 biotech companies and over 80 research institutes.

“Being in California also offers a new range of funding opportunities that we will explore to support our R&D programs on neuromuscular diseases.”

The site is expected to be fully operational from September 2015 and, by early 2016, will house up to 15 scientists, the majority of whom are PhD level. The company will also retain a small team of scientists in Sydney, primarily for the derivation and banking of new human pluripotent stem cell lines.