Bharat Biotech forays into cell and gene therapy with $75 million vertically integrated CGT, viral production facility at Genome Valley

HYDERABAD: Vaccine manufacturer Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL) is making a foray into the cell and gene therapy (CGT) space with a vertically integrated CGT and viral production facility at Genome Valley in Hyderabad at an investment of $75 million (approx. Rs 648 crore) to be injected in a phased manner.
The dedicated 50,000 sq ft facility, being touted as India’s first such vertically integrated facility for CGT, will be equipped with research & development, manufacturing, and quality control capabilities.
Bharat Biotech said the new foray will expand its expertise from just vaccine innovation to cutting-edge regenerative and personalised therapies that will range from boosting immune responses against ailments like cancer to safely delivering therapeutic proteins to patients with genetic diseases like hemophilia and other rare diseases.
Announcing the new foray, Bharat Biotech founder & executive chairman Dr Krishna Ella said Bharat Biotech, with its extensive experience in viral vaccine manufacturing, is uniquely positioned to master the complexities of CGT and produce human grade vectors at the scale and consistency required for clinical trials to fight rare and complex diseases but at affordable costs as currently these therapies are prohibitively expensive.
”For decades, Bharat Biotech has led India’s effort in developing and manufacturing affordable vaccines for critical diseases. CGT aligns with BBIL’s broader vision of expanding beyond traditional vaccines into personalized medicine. Leveraging our proven expertise in forging strategic global partnerships, this initiative will enable the rapid translation of advanced scientific discoveries—from potent therapeutic vectors to in vivo CAR (chimeric antigen receptor) generation—into real-world solutions,” Dr Ella explained.
Bharat Biotech chief development officer Raches Ella, who is spearheading the CGT foray, said the company has already deployed 60% of the investment in the facility and will be investing the rest in a staggered manner in the venture that is aimed at democratising CGT that are primarily available in developed nations or premier institutions and out of reach of the common man.
“It’s a GMP manufacturing facility that can make vaccines, lentiviruses, and adeno associated viruses (AAVs), which are critical raw materials for CGT. We already have a pipeline of five products that we are working on with therapies such as CAR-T cell, CAR-NK cell as well as off-the-shelf gene therapies,” Raches Ella said.
“Our established expertise in producing viral vectors are essential for CGT applications -- the crucial material for anti-cancer and genetic disorders and robust clinical development abilities for QC release. Additionally, the facility has capabilities to manufacture multiple platform products for various disease indications, including blood cancers, solid organ cancers, and genetic disorders,” he added.
For this, Bharat Biotech is collaborating with Prof Krishanu Saha of the University of Wisconsin Madison, whose lab is working on next-generation CAR cell therapies using AI.