Regenxbio is building a research and development (R&D) facility in Montgomery County in Rockville, Maryland, US.
To serve as the company’s headquarters, the new facility will allow Regenxbio to expand and locate all its nearby sites in one place.
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The project was announced in November 2018 and is expected to be completed in July 2020. It will allow the company to double its workforce over the next five years, which currently stands at more than 150 people.
Regenxbio’s new research and development facility location
The new R&D facility will be located in the Alexandria Life Science and Translational Research Center at 9800 Medical Centre Drive in Rockville, Maryland.
The campus at 9800 Medical Centre Drive currently has four buildings encompassing 282,000 rentable square feet (RSF). It will exceed to approximately 460,000 RSF after the completion of the new facility.
Regenxbio entered a 15-year lease agreement with Alexandria Real Estate Equities for 132,487 RSF in November 2018. It is situated close to government and regulatory authority institutions such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Relocating its headquarters will enable Regenxbio to recruit a skilled workforce, form collaborations and provide growth opportunities.
Details of the Regenxbio’s new research and development facility
Regenxbio’s new facility will be a Class A property offering 175,000 RSF. It will be a five-storey building.
The building has been permitted to be used as an office, R&D lab and manufacturing and training area, as well as biotechnology laboratory. The company is considering installing a current good manufacturing practices (cGMP) production facility in the building for the development and production of treatments utilising its proprietary NAV® technology platform.
The project will achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification and feature metal framed walls, a double-glazed glass roof and single-glazed skylights. LED lighting will be used in public, parking and common areas.
Financing for the new facility development
Maryland Commerce has granted a $700,000 conditional loan via the Advantage Maryland programme for the project. Regenxbio is also eligible to receive the Partnership for Workforce Quality grant, which will help meet training requirements.
Montgomery County has also provided a conditional grant of $100,000 and will support the permit approvals process.
Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) assisted in coordinating with the partners and in the facilitation of the project.
Technology used at the new facility
Regenxbio’s gene therapy delivery platform NAV technology, uses viral vectors for the delivery of genes into cells. This rectifies genetic malfunctioning and deficiency by producing therapeutic proteins in the body.
The platform holds exclusive rights to adeno-associated virus (AAV) 7, AAV8, AAV9, AAVrh10, as well as more than 100 new AAV vectors, which are used to develop a wide range of gene therapy candidates in various therapeutic areas.
The NAV vectors are derived from natural sources and reduce the risk of immune response trigger compared to previous generation AAV vectors. It also eases the manufacturing process compared to the previous AAV vectors versions.
Marketing commentary on Regenxbio
Regenexbio is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the development of a pipeline of gene therapy candidates for a wide range of diseases.
The company is currently working on more than 20 programmes with multiple partners and licensees of the NAV technology.
