CMC Biologics acquired Xoma’s large-scale biomanufacturing plant in Berkeley, CA. The 31,000 square foot facility houses three 2,750 L stainless steel bioreactors and two purification suites, as well as warehouse and office space. CMC officials say they expect to start offering contract manufacturing services from this location once the agreement is finalized.

“Establishing a facility in the Bay Area complements our existing facilities located in Bothell, Washington, and in Copenhagen, Denmark, and supports our continued growth and addresses the growing demand for cGMP clinical and commercial production of biopharmaceuticals,” explained Claes Glassell, CEO of CMC Biologics.

The CMC/Xoma deal was announced one day after Oncobiologics agreed to collaborate with Xoma on the development of biotherapeutics based on engineering single-chain variable fragments (scFv) into a bi-specific antibody scaffold. Oncobiologics, which will make Xoma’s Adapt™ fully human antibody technology platform a key component of its drug discovery program, has already selected clinically validated targets for further study and will focus on oncology, immuno-oncology, and immunology.

Under the agreement, Oncobiologics will gain access to XOMA’s library of scFv antibodies and associated patent estate and expects to capitalize on Xoma’s know-how and software tools as it advances its own candidates for treating cancer and immune diseases.

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