Arcalis, a mRNA-focused contract development manufacturing organization (CDMO), is a joint venture between Arcturus Therapeutics and Japan’s Axcelead. Arcturus holds a 49% equity stake. The Japanese government will provide $115 million for facility construction and equipment for mRNA drug manufacturing. The plant, spanning 78,000 sq. ft., aims for cGMP vaccine production. The drug substance facility is complete, and the drug product plant is expected by 2026. With 61 employees, the factory plans to double its workforce. The inauguration was attended by Japanese officials. Arcturus also partnered with Catalent for mRNA vaccine production.
Arcalis is a messenger RNA (mRNA)-focused contract development manufacturing organization (CDMO) joint venture between Arcturus Therapeutics, a firm focused on developing mRNA vaccines, and Axcelead, a Japan-based drug discovery company. Under the terms of the deal, Arcturus holds a 49% equity position that is subject to dilution.
The Japanese government will pay the $115 million in two separate grants. The funding will be used to finance the construction of a facility in Minamisoma City, Japan, as well as buying the relevant equipment needed for mRNA drug substance manufacturing and operations.
“Arcalis completed construction of the drug substance part of the plant at the end of July 2023. The company plans to finish building the drug product plant by 2026,” a spokesperson for Arcturus told BioProcess Insider.
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According to the joint venture participants, the five-storey factory covers more than 78,000 square feet and it has been designed to provide cGMP vaccine production, which ranges from mRNA drug substance through to bulk nanoparticle-formulated drug product.
The factory has 61 employees and aims to double its workforce over the next few years.
“It was an honor to welcome senior Japanese government officials and dignitaries to the opening ceremonies for ARCALIS’ state-of-the-art factory which will support the cGMP manufacturing of Arcturus’ next-generation STARR mRNA vaccines,” said Pad Chivukula, chief scientific officer of Arcturus.
In May 2020, Arcturus selected contract development manufacturing organization (CDMO) Catalent to make scaled-up batches of its mRNA vaccine candidate LUNAR-COV19, which uses the firm’s STARR Technology platform.
Source: BioProcessIntl