Firm brings expertise in designing flexible clinical and commercial suites for gene and cell therapy sector

 BOSTON – Jan. 9, 2019 – DPS Group, a privately-owned, global engineering, procurement, construction management and validation (EPCMV) firm serving high-tech process industries, announced today that it has been selected to design two cGMP manufacturing facilities for Brammer Bio, an industry leading viral vector contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO). Brammer enables pharmaceutical and biotech innovators to translate proprietary gene therapy and gene-modified cell therapy technologies into novel treatments for patients through the development and manufacture of viral vectors.

Brammer engaged DPS Group to provide process architecture and engineering services for the design of commercial suites that produce multiple gene transfer vector products in support of late-stage clinical programs leading to commercial supply. DPS Group is designing advanced gene therapy manufacturing suites for Brammer in Cambridge and a state-of-the-art gene therapy facility in Lexington, Mass. These manufacturing facilities will enable Brammer to optimize facility footprint and flexibility by accommodating a range of processes and products, while addressing scalability and capacity. Both projects have accelerated schedules for design and construction and are expected to be complete in the first half of 2019.

“Flexibility in facility design is essential to meet the diverse processing needs of our biopharmaceutical clients, who trust us to advance their research and accelerate the delivery of medicines to improve patient health,” said Mark Bamforth, President and CEO of Brammer Bio. “DPS Group brings an in-depth understanding of established cGMP manufacturing methods and experience with the challenges in implementing emerging biological technologies. Working with us on the Cambridge and Lexington projects, DPS Group has fostered a culture of collaboration to incorporate best practices and consistency in the facility designs.”

Cambridge, Mass.
DPS Group is designing an 8,000 SF renovation of Brammer’s commercial cGMP facility located in Cambridge, Mass. Part of a larger 66,000 SF building, the new space will increase the number of commercial suites, providing Brammer with additional capacity to produce treatments for a wider array of biotech companies. DPS Group faced several upfront challenges with this project, including designing the highly flexible and adaptable suites within the 8,000 SF footprint and minimizing operational impacts to other production, office and lab areas in the building during construction. The design of both upstream and downstream suites will support viral vector production using single-use technology for adherent and 2,000-liter suspension processes. Designed for many different potential client scenarios, the highly-efficient suite layouts will accommodate a variety of equipment requirements and provide Brammer with facility flexibility to operate several manufacturing processes for multiple products and scale. The work also includes modifications to the existing purified water and WFI systems.

Lexington, Mass.
DPS Group is providing detailed design services to assist Brammer in developing a new cGMP manufacturing and quality control (QC) operations facility in an existing 50,000 SF building in Lexington, Mass. As the company’s second commercial facility, the 35,000 SF build-out will support cGMP viral vector manufacturing with an associated fill/finish area, QC/micro and process establishment (PE) scale-up lab space, and warehouse for both cGMP and general operations. To address ceiling constraints for utilities in the existing structure, DPS Group is devising a new platform of interstitial ceiling space to support the Lexington facility’s additional air handlers and chillers. The solution provides Brammer with infrastructure flexibility in the future. Each of the production suites in the facility can be run in either upstream or downstream mode with larger suites accommodating multiple trains in parallel. DPS Group’s design affiliate TRIA, a partner-led architecture firm, is designing a 15,000 SF office space as the second phase of the Lexington facility.

Serving high-tech industries around the world, DPS Group designs and builds facilities that turn scientific innovations into life-saving and life-enhancing products. The firm delivers full-service engineering across a range of disciplines, including project management, procurement, design, construction management, health and safety management, commissioning, qualification and facility start-up. Given the challenges associated with gene therapy vector manufacturing, DPS Group takes a process-centric approach to facility design, drilling down through each process to consider all relevant factors. This bespoke design process allows for greater facility flexibility while ensuring efficient production processes and operator safety. DPS Group has completed more than 1,000 cGMP suite-style facilities globally since its founding in 1974.

 

About DPS Group
DPS Group is a global engineering, consulting and project management company, serving high-tech industries around the world. DPS delivers services for clients across the complete engineering and construction value chain including feasibility studies, concepts, consulting, architecture, engineering, procurement, construction management, commissioning, qualification and validation; as well as contingent staffing solutions.

DPS applies its extensive Process Engineering expertise built over 44 years, as well as significant Lean Construction experience to assist our clients in high-end process sectors such as pharmaceuticals, biotech and semiconductors deliver their manufacturing facilities speedily, safely and cost effectively. What sets us apart are the partnerships we build with our clients through a fundamental understanding of their businesses and our own agility, flexibility, original thinking and our high-caliber people.

We have grown substantially in recent years and now employ over 1,400 people in our offices and on client sites in Ireland, UK, Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Switzerland, Israel, Singapore and the United States. For more information, visit www.dpsgroupglobal.com.

About Brammer Bio
Brammer Bio provides clinical and commercial supply of vectors for in vivo gene therapy and ex vivo modified-cell based therapy, process and analytical development, and regulatory support, enabling large pharma and biotech clients to accelerate the delivery of novel medicines to improve patient health. Brammer is owned by Ampersand Capital Partners, the only institutional investor in the company, and its founders. For more information, please visit www.brammerbio.com.