Lonza Houston, Inc., one of the world’s leading suppliers to the pharmaceutical, biotech and specialty ingredients markets, began construction on its new biotech facility for viral and immunotherapy development and manufacturing in the Lower Kirby District in Pearland, Texas.

The Lower Kirby District consists of 1,200 acres located on the western border of Pearland facing South Beltway 8. It is well positioned to capture a significant portion of office, retail, commercial and industrial projects as the Houston market continues to grow and expand.

The state-of-the-art facility will house office space, process development, and quality control laboratories and a fully segregated fill/finish suite, allowing Lonza to more than double its current capacity for the production of viral gene and virally modified therapeutics. The planned facility will also contain independent modular cleanrooms for up to 2,000 L-scale production in single-use bioreactors, along with cleanrooms designed to meet the requirements for the manufacture of cell therapy products for use in the U.S. and European markets.

The facility, which is being designed and constructed in collaboration with Pinchal & Co., Creed Commercial Development, ARCO Design/Build, and CRB, will be located on an 11-acre site on Kirby Drive and will initially be home to over 80 employees with expected growth beyond that to include administrative, manufacturing, process development and quality assurance personnel.

“Lonza is committed to growing our cell and gene therapy capabilities in Pearland. The curative potential of gene therapy continues to grow, and Lonza is on the forefront of working with clients to help them treat diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Our team works with innovative designs and with novel cutting-edge technologies, so we are building in an area that is serving as a growing hub for the healthcare sector,” said Stefan Troger, Senior Vice President of Operations, Emerging Technologies Business Unit for Lonza’s Pharma & Biotech segment.

“As a Pearland resident since 2000, it is an honor to be contributing to the growth of the city,” said Ricardo Jimenez, Site Director, Lonza Houston Inc. “Pearland has shown great support of the life science sector, and the Lower Kirby District is a perfect example of that. It has been a great journey of growth for the dedicated team at Lonza Houston, and I look forward to continued growth.”

“The City of Pearland is excited to welcome Lonza as the latest medical and life science employer to choose to locate in Pearland,” said Pearland Mayor Tom Reid. “It has been a long-standing goal of the City to cultivate a broad spectrum of medical and life science-related organizations in our community. Following on the heels of Cardiovascular Systems, Inc., Merit Medical Systems, Base Pair Biotechnologies, and Kelsey-Seybold, Lonza’s interest in Pearland is a testament to our efforts and willingness to work with businesses interested in investing in our city.”