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Lithuania builds advanced cell therapy center, eyes leadership in Baltic biotech
๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡น Lithuania /Health & Science

Lithuania builds advanced cell therapy center, eyes leadership in Baltic biotech

From Delfi · () Lithuanian

Translated from Lithuanian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Lithuania is developing a state-of-the-art cell therapy center, the most advanced in the Baltic region, with an investment of 61 million euros.
  • The center will focus on producing next-generation anti-cancer drugs, including CAR-T therapy, and will feature 20 Good Manufacturing Practice-compliant production lines.
  • This project aims to bolster Lithuania's position as a high-tech innovation hub and contribute significantly to the country's goal of making the life sciences sector represent 5% of its GDP.

Lithuania is establishing a cutting-edge cell therapy center, poised to be the most advanced in the Baltic region, as part of its strategic push to become a leading hub for high-tech innovation and life sciences. The "Bio City III" project in Vilnius, developed by Northway, represents a significant investment of 61 million euros, financed by private funds and a loan from the national development bank ILTE.

We are proud to contribute to the implementation of such a large-scale project and help create infrastructure that strengthens Lithuania's position as a center of high technology and innovation internationally.

โ€” Giedrฤ— Geฤiauskienฤ—Giedrฤ— Geฤiauskienฤ—, a member of the board and head of client financing at the national development bank ILTE, commented on the project's significance for Lithuania's international standing.

This new facility will house 20 independent production lines adhering to Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards. Equipped with integrated quality control laboratories and advanced cleanroom systems, it is specifically designed for the sensitive production of cell therapies. Such infrastructure will enable the safe and efficient manufacturing of personalized treatments for individual patients, ensuring maximum sterility, full traceability, and strict control over cross-contamination.

Professor Vladas Algirdas Bumelis highlights the transformative shift in medicine towards personalization, where modified human cells become the medicine itself. He notes that while CAR-T therapy is already used in university hospitals, the production of these advanced therapies remains a significant challenge globally, with a particular shortage of specialized manufacturing capabilities in Europe.

Medicine has been fundamentally changing in recent years. We are moving towards complete personalization, where modified cells of the person themselves become the medicine.

โ€” Prof. Vladas Algirdas BumelisProfessor Vladas Algirdas Bumelis emphasized the trend towards personalized medicine and the role of cell therapies.

The center is expected to employ around 100 highly qualified specialists in biotechnology, bioengineering, molecular biology, and other life sciences. This development is crucial for Lithuania's ambition to make the life sciences sector contribute up to 5% of the country's GDP, with projects like "Bio City" being key steps toward achieving this goal. The facility aims to address the global demand for cell and gene therapies by providing advanced manufacturing capacity.

University hospitals usually produce CAR-T therapies individually for their patients, in small quantities. Our goal is different - to create

โ€” Prof. Vladas Algirdas BumelisProfessor Vladas Algirdas Bumelis explained the distinction between existing hospital-based production and the center's large-scale manufacturing goals.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Delfi in Lithuanian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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