News | January 5, 2023

Catalyst BioCampus Is North Carolina's Newest cGMP Biomanufacturing Campus Supporting Advanced Therapy Drug Manufacturing

CBRE|Raleigh is pleased to join affiliates of Apollo and GeneSuites in announcing Catalyst BioCampus to the growing life sciences community in Holly Springs, NC. The campus will be the first in the Raleigh-Durham market to offer a High-Performance Shell real estate solution, suited for life sciences companies seeking to accelerate the production of breakthrough therapies.

“Catalyst BioCampus is a major new addition to North Carolina’s strong biomanufacturing community, providing a uniquely flexible, scalable, and rapidly deployable solution for companies. The pandemic has heightened awareness of the value of speed and safety in bringing new biological innovations to market, and we’re fortunate to have this unique resource in the Town of Holly Springs to support the Town’s growing presence as a global biomanufacturing leader,” said Bill Bullock, SVP of Economic Development with North Carolina Biotechnology Center.

Catalyst BioCampus Designed to Accelerate Speed to Market for Biopharmaceutical Companies
Pre-equipped with primary mechanical, electrical, and building infrastructure specific to Current Good Manufacturing Practice (“cGMP”) biomanufacturing facilities, Catalyst BioCampus’ High-Performance Shell offers a unique opportunity for biopharmaceutical companies to accelerate speed to market by approximately 9-15 months.

“Innovation in biotechnology is rapidly evolving to push the possibilities of advanced therapies, but the shortage of manufacturing capacity has resulted in delayed timelines and higher costs,” said Gary Schoenhouse, GeneSuites’ Chief Technical Advisor. “Catalyst BioCampus’ High-Performance Shell advances building shell infrastructure while providing optimal flexibility to enhance biopharmaceutical companies’ treatment timelines.”

Catalyst BioCampus further solidifies Holly Springs’ life sciences ecosystem by adding up to 446,000 square feet of cGMP, process development, lab, and office space in a bourgeoning life sciences hub. The campus is located alongside the FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies and Seqirus campuses and is immediately adjacent to a new mixed-use retail and hospitality destination opening in 2023.

“Holly Springs is quickly becoming a go-to hub for life sciences in North Carolina given its location, amenities, and population base. We are excited to deliver real estate we believe to be mission-critical to support the crucial advancement of biomanufacturing in the 21st century,” said Apollo’s Poojan Mehta.

Holly Springs Secures Over 40% of Biomanufacturing Investment in Raleigh-Durham
Since 2018, over 40% of the $6.4B of life sciences manufacturing investment in Raleigh-Durham has landed in Holly Springs, according to CBRE. In March 2021, FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies announced its plans to invest $2B to develop the largest cell culture CDMO in North America with eight 20,000-liter bioreactors and plans for an additional 24 bioreactors of the same size. Amgen also recently broke ground on its new biomanufacturing facility, investing $550M and expected to create 355 new jobs. These companies will join the already well-established Seqirus that invested an additional $156M into its current operations in Holly Springs, totaling $1.2B of investment.

In addition to major life sciences announcements, Holly Springs has experienced strong growth in its retail, office, and residential sectors. Over 100,000 square feet of new real estate has been delivered in the last three years, including a new, $170M hospital built by the UNC Rex Hospital system. The Town has a population of over 45,000 individuals that has grown annually by 6 percent over the past 10 years.

“From greenfield sites to high-performance shell solutions, we have it all in Holly Springs with Catalyst BioCampus completing our portfolio to give every size company a place to call home,” said Holly Springs Economic Development Director Irena Krstanovic. “We put the infrastructure in place to make this newest BioCampus nestled within walking distance of great amenities, and we look forward to welcoming new life sciences companies to the Holly Springs family.”

Catalyst BioCampus is currently under construction and will be delivered in early 2023. Affiliates of Apollo and GeneSuites are developing Catalyst BioCampus and CBRE|Raleigh’s Lee Clyburn and John Hogan III are handling the leasing responsibilities for the development.

About CBRE|Raleigh
CBRE|Raleigh is a CBRE office serving the Triangle region and is a joint venture between local principals and CBRE Group, Inc. The firm assists real estate owners, investors, and occupiers by offering strategic advice and execution for property leasing and sales; property, facilities and project management; corporate services; debt and equity financing; investment management; valuation and appraisal; research and investment strategy; and consulting. In 2021, the Raleigh office completed $3.3B of sales and leasing transactions. For more information, visit www.cbre.us/raleigh.

About CBRE Group, Inc.
CBRE Group, Inc., a Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company headquartered in Dallas, is the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firm (based on 2021 revenue). The company has more than 105,000 employees (excluding Turner & Townsend employees) serving clients in more than 100 countries. CBRE serves a diverse range of clients with an integrated suite of services, including facilities, transaction, and project management; property management; investment management; appraisal and valuation; property leasing; strategic consulting; property sales; mortgage services and development services. For more information, visit www.cbre.com.

About GeneSuites
GeneSuites offers the most advanced and cost-efficient cGMP multi-modal manufacturing solution for cell and gene therapy companies looking to accelerate speed to market, minimize operating risk while maximizing process control, capital efficiencies and scalability. The GeneSuites team has a proven track record of developing, managing and negotiating multi-million square feet of life sciences and cGMP biomanufacturing space. For more information, visit www.genesuites.com.

Source: CBRE, Inc.