Sana Biotechnology celebrated a significant milestone in its journey to develop drugs for complex diseases, holding a ribbon-cutting ceremony at their new manufacturing facility in Bothell, Wash., on Friday.
The groundbreaking for the 80,000 square-foot facility occurred one year ago after the company shifted from a site in Fremont, Calif.
The Bothell facility will be the hub for Sana’s proprietary cancer drug program. The company, focused on cell and gene therapy, also plans to produce other drugs at this location in the future.
“To build a facility, you have to know your process,” stated Sana CEO Steve Harr, “and to know your process you’ve had to make some reasonable progress in treating people.”
Sana, which was founded in 2019 and went public with a record-breaking IPO in 2021, has its first drug program ready for scaled production: allogeneic CAR-T cells targeting blood cancers like leukemia and autoimmune diseases.
The company has developed a unique gene-editing mechanism that prevents the immune system from attacking engineered therapeutic cells, which is typically the case. This approach has potential cost-saving benefits because it is more scalable compared to existing T-cell therapies that use the patient’s own cells.
Sana has four drugs in human testing: two for cancer, one for autoimmune disease, and another for type 1 diabetes.
During the ceremony, Washington Rep. Kim Schrier, who is among millions in the U.S. living with type 1 diabetes, praised Sana’s research as “breathtaking.”
The diabetes program focuses on transforming stem cells into insulin-producing islet cells. Following promising results from primate studies, Sana began a human clinical trial earlier this year, which is expected to conclude next spring.
The company aims to develop a manufacturing process for the diabetes drug at the Bothell facility once the technology is ready for scaling.
Harr mentioned that Sana has invested over $500 million in manufacturing sciences and capabilities. By controlling the manufacturing process, the company can ensure quality and hire its own personnel.
With the University of Washington’s Bothell campus nearby and other drug manufacturing companies in the vicinity, Harr praised the region as a fertile ground for talent.
Sana took possession of the building owned by Alexandria Real Estate a few months ago and currently employs up to 40 people there. The facility is prepared to accommodate hundreds more as operations expand.
Washington state Rep. Suzan DelBene, Bothell Mayor Mason Thompson, and Sana CTO Snehal Patel also took part in the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Sana’s stock has declined since it went public three years ago but has climbed 20% so far in 2024.
The company’s net losses expanded to $107.5 million in the first quarter of this year, up from $82.1 million in the same period last year. R&D expenses were $56.4 million in Q1, compared to $67.2 million the previous year. As of March 31, the company had $311.1 million in cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities.
Sana announced in October that it would lay off 29% of its workforce as part of a strategic repositioning and due to delays in certain projects. The company had previously cut 15% of its staff in November 2022.
As of December 2023, the company had 328 employees.
Sana also has a lab for clinical research in Seattle and additional locations in South San Francisco, Cambridge, Mass., and a small research group in Rochester, N.Y.
