Abzena, a life-sciences group headquartered in San Diego, California with other sites across the US and Europe, will open a new facility in Lee County, Governor Roy Cooper announced Tuesday, April 13, 2021. The company plans to locate in the 117,000 square foot Shell Building #2 in Central Carolina Enterprise Park and will create 325 jobs at an average annual salary of more than $60,000. The company will be investing $213M in Sanford.
Abzena, a contract manufacturer, collaborates with companies and academic groups all over the world, including most of the top 20 biopharmaceutical companies. Multiple antibodies, which have been created using Abzena’s technologies, are currently being progressed through clinical development by their licensees.
Abzena’s range of services focuses on antibody discovery and immunology assessment. The Lee County facility will accommodate phase 3 and commercial manufacturing, augmenting cGMP manufacturing capacity for mammalian biologics. The company also has a strong background in synthetic organic chemistry and extensive experience of custom synthesis and bioconjugation.
Abzena was created through the incorporation of Antitope, PacificGMP, PolyTherics, The Chemistry Research Solution (TCRS) and Warwick Effect Polymers.
Response from local leaders
Lee County Board of Commissioners Chair Kirk Smith: “We are delighted that Abzena chose Lee County, thus helping us to grow our local life sciences industry. We are blessed to be centered in the heart of North Carolina in close proximity to our premier research institutions that will help further accelerate the impact of Abzena on our county, state, and country. We look forward to the beneficial economic impact for our community as well the future tax relief for our citizens. We appreciate the foresight of our own Sanford Area Growth Alliance and local developers to provide state of the art shell buildings attracting new business and industries.”
Sanford Mayor Chet Mann: “Congratulations to Abzena on the opening of their latest facility here in Sanford, North Carolina. Our City is thrilled with this announcement of such a high achieving and high quality company who is focused on the continued development of better treatments for patients. We are very pleased to have been selected as their new location and to add Abzena to our growing Life Sciences Community. We look forward to a strong and lasting relationship. We have worked hard as a City to create an environment that not only is business friendly but also a place where company team members can live, work, and flourish and this announcement validates that effort. Best wishes and a heartfelt welcome to Sanford.”
Sanford Area Growth Alliance (SAGA) Board of Directors Chair April Montgomery: “The Sanford Area Growth Alliance enthusiastically welcomes Abzena to the Sanford-Lee County community, where public and private sectors work together to grow and diversify the business community, increase opportunities for our workforce and improve the quality of life for our citizens. Abzena’s decision to locate here is an endorsement of our organization’s team effort and our reputation at state, regional and national levels.”
SAGA CEO Jimmy Randolph: “With their decision to locate in Shell Building #2 at CCEP, Abzena adds another valuable facet to Lee County’s already impressive life sciences manufacturing cluster. Their operation will complement the globally significant gene therapy manufacturing hub anchored by Pfizer, one of Lee County’s largest and longest-tenured employers, and Astellas, currently completing the upfit of CCEP’s Shell Building #1, which they purchased just last year.”
Contributed.
