Bionova Scientific Opens New pDNA Facility in Texas
Bionova Scientific, a full-service biologics contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) and subsidiary of global conglomerate Asahi Kasei, has announced the opening of a 10,000 square-foot state-of-the-art plasmid DNA (pDNA) development and production facility in The Woodlands, Texas.
Located less than 50 km north of Houston, Texas, the new facility designs, develops, and manufactures research-grade pDNA materials to support the cell and gene therapy field. With the global pharmaceutical market anticipated to reach almost $3 trillion by 2033, Bionova Scientific has positioned itself to accommodate the market’s rapid growth. Enabled by the new Texas facility, the company will expand its offerings beyond mammalian protein production and provide clinical to commercial-scale Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) production of pDNA by Q4 2025.
Plasmid DNA is an important starting material for mRNA and viral vector-based cell and gene therapies. Bionova Scientific has added pDNA development and manufacturing services to its antibody and protein CDMO capabilities at its expanded Bay Area facility. This expansion aims to support emerging advanced therapy developers with the same quality and expertise as its existing protein development and GMP manufacturing operations in Fremont, CA.
“Bionova added these highly sought-after pDNA capabilities in response to a persistent unmet need among the cell and gene therapy biopharma community. Completing this specialized facility on schedule is not only a milestone for our team, but a crucial step in ensuring our customers receive the reliable, timely support they need to meet their own deadlines,” commented Darren Head, President and Chair of Bionova. “We chose The Woodlands because of its proximity to a growing number of CGT companies, and its location provides Bionova with access to the rapidly expanding CGT ecosystem here in the US. By aligning our capabilities with the needs of the CGT sector, we look forward to building lasting partnerships that accelerate the industry.”
As part of Asahi Kasei’s Life Science group, Bionova continues to scale its presence to meet the evolving needs of the biopharmaceutical industry. Supported by Asahi Kasei’s medium-term growth plan, which includes advancing its virus filtration, CRO testing, and CDMO businesses, Bionova continues to invest in specialized capabilities to support next-generation therapies.
