Astellas Pharma Inc. announced plans to create an integrated biotechnology campus in South San Francisco as its West Coast innovation and research center. The new 154,000-square-foot building at 480 Forbes Boulevard will allow for the co-location of several Astellas business units and functions currently located independently throughout the San Francisco area.
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The new innovation and research center will include employees across research, technical operations, medical and development, commercial, and relevant administrative support functions. Astellas will invest approximately $70 million to create the new state-of-the-art facility, which will provide lab and co-working spaces to accommodate future growth as it advances a range of innovative cell and gene therapies for patients with limited or no treatment options, including rare diseases and cancer.
“By uniting our business units in the Bay Area, we are creating a dedicated West Coast center in the vibrant South San Francisco corridor alongside other leaders in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry,” said Yoshitsugu Shitaka, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer at Astellas. “Similar to the Astellas Biomedical Innovation Hub located in the greater Boston area, this new facility will foster even greater levels of collaboration amongst our world-class, multi-disciplinary teams working in cell and gene therapies, development of business opportunities and all those who support our endeavors to create value for patients.”
Astellas expects to complete the building and be operational in summer 2023. Astellas will be the sole occupant of the new building and will spend the next year equipping the interior with state-of-the-art research labs, office spaces, and other amenities specifically designed to accommodate the West Coast employees of Astellas Gene Therapies, Xyphos Biosciences, business development, Rx+® Business Accelerator, and the planned future growth within those units. In addition, the co-location of these businesses allows for more efficient use of space by combining the lab and office facilities into one new building, compared to current independent locations.
Astellas’ VISION is to be at the forefront of healthcare change and to turn innovative science into VALUE for patients. Under this vision, Astellas is focused on bringing life-changing cell and gene therapy treatments to patients suffering from diseases that lack treatment options.