The project is supported by Germany’s Federal Government and the State of Berlin, aiming to bring these groundbreaking technologies to patients more quickly while creating a leading biotech ecosystem for innovative therapies in Berlin.

Cell and gene therapies (CGTs) have enormous potential. By targeting diseases at the genetic and cellular level, CGTs could offer options to people for whom conventional therapies have failed or where no effective treatment is currently available.

Charité and Bayer will establish the center on the Bayer campus at Berlin Nordhafen. The center will support start-ups bringing their innovative approaches in the area of cell therapies and gene therapies into clinical development. The center will include a fully equipped laboratory space and a production area certified according to the standards of good manufacturing practice (GMP). Participating early-stage companies will receive advice on regulatory requirements, clinical trials, patent rights, and business development. Bayer and Charité will establish a joint public-private, non-profit company with limited liability. Charité will own 67 percent of this company, with Bayer owning the remaining 33 percent.

Bill Anderson, Chairman of the Board of Management (CEO) of Bayer AG, commented, “Despite great advances in research and technology, there are still many diseases that are without cure and which affect the lives of millions. To these people, cell and gene therapies offer great hope. Only through close partnerships across borders, new approaches and quick action can we make real progress towards our objective of curing diseases that were long considered incurable.”

The center will bring together research, development, and the manufacturing of CGT in the heart of Berlin. Purposely embedding it within the Berlin ecosystem, a European capital with a large number of biomedical and healthcare facilities, it is intended to become a creative and interactive hub for biotech innovations in the area of CGT. Construction is planned to begin in 2025.