Fujifilm Corp. announced May 19 that it had opened a new human-induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) factory in Madison, Wisconsin. According to a company statement, the plant will quadruple Fujifilm’s capacity for iPSC-based research in addition to increasing its capacity for existing iPSC-derived pharmaceuticals and enabling more accurate testing of experimental medicines on lab-grown human tissue.

According to a statement from the Wisconsin governor’s office, the facility will include cell culture manufacturing labs, process development laboratories, and a gene editing “center of excellence.”

The Japanese biochemical company, in a statement, did not disclose the cost of the 175,000-square-foot facility but said it is part of the company’s previously-announced $200 million investment into cell culture manufacturing.

"Completion of this facility comes at a critical time in the iPSC field, where FUJIFILM Cellular Dynamics has been setting industry standards for more than 20 years," said Toshihisa Iida, director, corporate vice president, general manager of Life Sciences Strategy Headquarters and Bio CDMO Division, FUJIFILM Corporation, Japan. “This new facility enables us to respond to growing demand from pharmaceutical companies, research institutions, and academia engaged in new drug research and development, further delivering on our commitment to the development of life-changing medical treatments and to the people who will benefit from them.”

“FUJIFILM Cellular Dynamics is a Wisconsin success story,” said Gov. Evers. “Thanks to James Thomson’s pioneering stem cell research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, collaboration between our state’s public and private sectors, and global partnerships to carry this innovation forward, we are celebrating not only the growth of one company, but our state’s leadership throughout the fields of biohealth and biotechnology.”

“The opening of this facility is an exciting milestone for FUJIFILM Cellular Dynamics and represents a crucial next step for scaling the infrastructure needed to support the next generation of iPSC-based research and therapeutics in the U.S.,” said Tomoyuki Hasegawa, president and CEO of FUJIFILM Cellular Dynamics. “By expanding our development and manufacturing capabilities, we can better support partners working to translate stem cell science into real clinical impact. Our research portfolio additionally supports drug discovery across all therapeutic modalities, thus truly embodying our ‘Partners for Life’ brand.”

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