SAFC’s 50,000 sqft cGMP fermentation expansion, which is expected to begin production in October 2010, will focus on niche fermentation of APIs and bulk drugs, producing secondary metabolites (antibiotic-like molecules), cytotoxins and large-molecule proteins.
SAFC said that the 30,000 sqft area of the new facility has been designed to be Biosafety Level 2 compliant – enabling manipulation of human pathogens.
Capabilities include 1,000 and 4,000-liter tank capacities for bacterial and fungal fermentation, as well as explosion-proof suites.
SAFC president Gilles Cottier said that fermentation is a technology, yet new applications have been recently discovered, including the synthesis of high potency compounds.
“The Jerusalem expansion builds upon over 30 years of Sigma-Aldrich experience in the development and manufacture microbial-derived products,” Cottier said.
“The site is a full-service facility offering purification and analytical expertise associated with fermentation technology such as microbiology, organic chemistry, biochemistry and molecular biology.”