Bionova Scientific Opens 55,000 Sq. Ft. Process Development Facility in Fremont

• Bionova Scientific has opened a new 55,000 sq. ft. process development and pilot plant in Fremont, California, to support early-stage biologics development.

• The facility will enable seamless scale-up for biopharma innovators while expanding Bionova’s contract manufacturing capacity.

Bionova Scientific, an Asahi Kasei company and boutique biologics contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO), has opened a new facility in Fremont, California. The 55,000 sq. ft. process development and pilot plant is designed to advance early-stage biologics assets to first-in-human trials and support the company’s expanding manufacturing operations.

To mark the opening, Bionova hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by industry and community leaders, including Fremont Mayor Raj Salwan, representatives from congressional and state offices, and members of the Fremont Chamber of Commerce.

Darren Head, Chairman & President of Bionova Scientific, stated, “Many of our customers are early-stage biopharmaceutical innovators who need agile partners who can quickly provide process development and reliable manufacturing operations that are scalable, without the need to tech transfer to another CDMO as their programs mature. This new facility enhances our capacity to serve early-stage clients while also providing overflow capacity for our larger biopharma customers.”

Located in the San Francisco Bay Area—widely known as “Biotech Bay”—the new facility places Bionova in a strategic position within one of the largest U.S. biopharma hubs. The region generates over $142 billion in economic activity and supports more than 328,000 direct and indirect jobs. Bionova’s expanded capabilities will allow it to support local biopharma innovators by providing streamlined development and manufacturing solutions.

With the new facility, Bionova has co-located all pre-GMP activities under one roof, enabling more efficient technology transfer and process scale-up. Michelle Chen, Senior Vice President for Process Development and Manufacturing, noted that the integration has already led to meaningful technical and efficiency gains. As Bionova continues to expand its role as a biologics CDMO, the company remains committed to supporting early-stage and commercial-scale biopharma manufacturing.