Key Takeaways:
– Sana Biotechnology opened a new facility in Bothell, Washington, transitioning from a previous site in Fremont, California.
– The facility will produce Sana’s proprietary cancer drug and potentially other drugs in future.
– Sana is currently testing four drugs; two for cancer, one for autoimmune diseases, and another for type 1 diabetes.
– Sana has developed a unique gene-editing mechanism that could render therapeutic cells invisible to the human immune system.
– The company anticipates scaling the manufacturing of its allogeneic CAR-T cell therapy and diabetes drug.
Introduction
Sana Biotechnology, a frontrunner in gene and cell therapies, opened a new manufacturing plant in the city of Bothell, Washington, on Friday, marking a significant development in its ambitions to manufacture therapeutic drugs for complex diseases. CEO Steve Harr of Sana Biotechnology, Washington State Representative Suzan DelBene, Bothell’s Mayor Mason Thompson, and Sana’s CTO Snehal Patel presided over the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
New Grounds in Bothell
The new facility is a considerable leap from their original Fremont, California, settlement. Construction began a year ago on the 80,000 square-foot manufacturing hub which is primed to house Sana’s proprietary cancer drug production. The ambitious plan also outlines the possibility of manufacturing other drugs on the same site in the future.
Scaling Cancer and Autoimmune Treatments
Sana, launched in 2019, has its first drug program ready for mass production. This comprises allogeneic CAR-T cells targeting blood cancers such as leukemia and autoimmune diseases. The company has deciphered a unique gene-editing technique that makes therapeutic cells unrecognizable to the human immune system. Unlike existing T-cell therapies, Sana’s approach is cheaper as it bypasses the need for using patients’ own cells, making it more scalable.
Sana’s pipeline currently includes four drugs under clinical trials – two aimed at cancer, one for autoimmune diseases, and another for type 1 diabetes.
Addressing the Diabetes Challenge
Washington Rep. Kim Schrier, a type 1 diabetes patient herself, lauded Sana’s research as groundbreaking during the ceremony. Sana’s vigorous diabetes program involves the conversion of stem cells into insulin-producing islet cells.
Post promising primate study results, a human clinical trial was initiated earlier this year, expected to conclude by next spring. There are high hopes of establishing a manufacturing process for the diabetes drug at the Bothell facility once the scalable technology is in place.
Pumping Money Into Manufacturing
Sana has to date poured over $500 million into manufacturing sciences and capabilities. CEO Harr emphasized the importance of controlling the manufacturing process to maintain quality standards and hire qualified personnel.
The Bothell facility, owned by Alexandria Real Estate, currently houses up to 40 employees but is geared to accommodate hundreds more as operations expand.
Braving Financial Headwinds
Despite experiencing a dip since going public three years ago, Sana’s stock rose 20% noting a bright start in 2024. However, net losses increased from $82.1 million in the previous year to $107.5 million in Q1 2024, as R&D costs soared. Yet, the robust cash reserves of $311.1 million at the end of March 2024, provide a substantial financial cushion for the company.
Sana terminated 29% of its workforce last October following a strategic repositioning and project delays, bringing its total tally to 328 employees in December 2023. Despite these setbacks, the biotech firm continues to set the pace in gene and cell therapies, boasting clinical research labs in Seattle, South San Francisco, Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Rochester, New York.
The latest manufacturing addition in Bothell underscores Sana’s determination to advance its robust pipeline of therapeutic solutions.
