BOSTON and OKLAHOMA
CITY, Oct. 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Wheeler Bio,
a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) for
next-gen protein therapeutics, announced today the grand opening of
their state-of-the-art drug substance Current Good Manufacturing
Practices (CGMP) facility inside the Ziggurat building (Echo
Investment Capital) in Oklahoma
City, OK.
By partnering uniquely with venture capital, Wheeler helps to
ease the translational process from discovery to clinic for clients
in biologics innovation. Founded by Dr. Jesse McCool, Christian
Kanady of Echo, and Errik
Anderson of Alloy Therapeutics and 82VS in 2021, the
first-in-class CDMO was designed to provide accelerative
development services to biotech startups and emerging biopharma
innovators at a fair price.
"We are leveraging the cost advantages and the trained
biomanufacturing workforce in Oklahoma
City to create a highly differentiated CDMO," stated
Jesse McCool, Co-Founder and CEO at
Wheeler. "With our accessible, modular approach to CMC development,
extensive technology stack, and pools-based workflow
parallelization, Wheeler is raising the bar for
early-clinical-phase biologics services."
Wheeler's stunning new 35,000 square foot CGMP facility is
comprised of two single-use drug substance lines (50L and 500L
scale HyPerforma™ DynaDrive™), warehousing, cold chain, a buffer
and media prep suite, two master cell banking suites, a
RightSourceSM quality control testing lab (Charles River Labs), document control,
utilities, and office space. The brownfield project was designed,
built, and delivered under budget and ahead of schedule by Wheeler
Bio, CRB, and Lingo Construction Services in collaboration with
automation and validation partners Lucid and CAI. Two commissioning
runs were completed recently using Wheeler's Portable CMC™ antibody
process platform, and the first client orders for CGMP drug
substance batches have already been received.
"The expansion is transformative, allowing Wheeler to provide
our clients with high-quality clinical trial materials in rapid
time. We are excited to see our innovative facility design
successfully implemented, and we look forward to serving our
clients," said Yuk Chiu, Chief
Manufacturing Officer at Wheeler Bio.
Coupled with a novel hub-and-spoke operational model (satellite
preclinical material supply labs in metro areas with strong biotech
clusters), Wheeler Bio is more accessible, more affordable, and
more agile than larger CDMO service providers. The Portable CMC™
platform encompasses state-of-the-art process development
capabilities overseen by seasoned staff, along with the latest
technologies enabling excellence in CGMP manufacturing.
"I am thrilled that Wheeler Bio is officially opening its doors
for business, and I am proud to celebrate this significant
milestone with my co-founders, public and private partners, and
numerous friends and supporters from our community and beyond,"
said Christian Kanady, Founding
Partner and CEO of Echo. "The ribbon cutting represents the
culmination of a vision ready to be set in full motion. What
started as a novel idea just a few short years ago is now a
full-service biologics development and manufacturing provider,
offering a streamlined one-stop-shop to solve key challenges for
drug developers. Situated in the heart of our downtown, closely
aligned with and near the OKC Innovation District and greater
healthcare ecosystem, Wheeler Bio is, by design, positioned to
seamlessly connect customers with exceptional development and
clinical resources. It's incredible to see it all come to fruition
within Echo's venture studio."
"This is an exciting day for Wheeler Bio. Our goal was to solve
an outdated CDMO model for the innovator market segment. It
resulted in a hub-and-spoke operational model where we can offer
innovators excellence in execution from an affordable cost base,
along with access to capital networks and world-class clinical
resources," said Errik Anderson, CEO
at Alloy Therapeutics.
"We are extremely pleased to be working in close collaboration
with Wheeler and their Portable CMC™ antibody process platform that
helps facilitate the translation from preclinical discovery to
clinical development. It is very exciting to see the opening of
their new CGMP facility, and the addition of a RightSource lab,
operated by Charles River's
industry-leading experts, will support expedited QC testing needs
both for Wheeler and their clients," said Professor Julie Frearson, Ph.D., Corporate Senior Vice
President, Chief Scientific Officer, Charles River.
About Wheeler Bio
Wheeler Bio is a biomanufacturing pioneer, founded by a team of
industry experts and strategic investors who believe a different
CDMO model is needed to help innovators reach their clinical
milestones faster. Wheeler's novel hub-and-spoke operational model,
centered in the biomanufacturing metro of Oklahoma City, and
integrated with biotechs and discovery CROs, will revolutionize the
speed of drug development. Wheeler Bio's technology platform,
Portable CMC™, simplifies the path between drug discovery and
clinical manufacturing by providing a new bridge for translating
discoveries to first-in-human trials. Innovators benefit from
increased momentum during technology transfer, shorter timelines,
reduced risk, and lower costs. Additional information can be
obtained by visiting www.wheelerbio.com, or by following Wheeler
Bio on LinkedIn.
For Further Information:
Wheeler Bio, Inc.
Contact: Jesse McCool
(405) 279-6767
jesse.mccool@wheelerbio.com
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SOURCE Wheeler Bio