- Ascend Advanced Therapies acquires Advanced BioScience Laboratories (ABL) to expand its GMP capacity and US footprint.
- EW Healthcare Partners invests further in Ascend to support growth in biotherapy and viral vector contract manufacturing.
Ascend Advanced Therapies has partnered with EW Healthcare Partners to enhance its contract manufacturing footprint and capabilities in the United States. As part of the agreement, Advanced BioScience Laboratories (ABL), a CDMO specializing in biotherapy and viral vector production located in Rockville, MD, will be integrated into Ascend’s operations.
The merger brings together the expertise and infrastructure of both companies, aligning Ascend’s gene-to-GMP manufacturing model with ABL’s established presence in the production of adeno-associated virus (AAV) and other biotherapies. EW Healthcare Partners, an investor with a history of supporting biotechnology and life sciences growth, has also committed significant capital to Ascend’s expansion.
“We founded Ascend with a vision to quilt together the best operators and technologies within the advanced manufacturing field,” said Fred Cohen, Chairman of Ascend and a founding investor at Monograph Capital. “The complementary services at ABL and Ascend will further strengthen our service offering to customers.”
The new partnership adds ABL’s experience in development and manufacturing to Ascend’s expanding network, boosting GMP capacity and enabling a comprehensive service model that spans research and development through to commercial production. This move follows other growth initiatives by Ascend, including recent investments in GMP capabilities in Florida and expanded quality control and analytical operations in Germany.
Mike Stella, CEO of Ascend, remarked, “Not only are we expanding our GMP capacity, but this merger allows the team to offer customers an even more sophisticated gene-to-GMP experience.”
Overview of outsourcing trends 
