Wheeler Bio, CRB announce kickoff of new Oklahoma City manufacturing facility supporting production of life-saving therapies

35,000-square-foot facility for clinical drug substance manufacturing of antibodies and recombinant proteins

OKLAHOMA CITY, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) Wheeler Bio and CRB – a leading global provider of sustainable engineering, architectural, construction and consulting services to the life sciences industry – today announced the start of construction on a GMP drug substance facility that will support innovators seeking agile, small batch manufacturing services for their clinical trial materials (CTM). 

Wheeler is the newest member of Oklahoma City's innovative biotech hub. Housed in the ultra-modern Ziggurat building located in downtown OKC, Wheeler is making no compromises in establishing state-of-the-art biomanufacturing in their 35,000-square-foot brownfield space. With closed processing and ballroom designs engineered by CRB and cleanroom construction partners, Lingo Construction Services, Inc., Wheeler is capitalizing on the latest innovations in cleanroom concepts allowing for exceptional agility that will better serve the needs of the early clinical phase developers.

"I am thrilled to announce the kick-off of our latest capital project to establish Wheeler's first GMP drug substance manufacturing capability in Oklahoma City," said Jesse McCool, CEO of Wheeler Bio. "The caliber of collaboration so far among stakeholders including Wheeler, CRB, and Lingo has been truly impressive resulting in a detailed design that is a perfect reflection of our vision of an agile, phase appropriate, 'smart factory'."

"This design gives us the ultimate flexibility in manufacturing operations while maintaining quality and regulatory compliance. We are excited to provide the best-in-class CDMO services through our modern facility design, robust risk management, and advanced automation infrastructures," said Yuk Chun Chiu, CMO of Wheeler.

Ashley Reynolds, Market Team Leader of CRB states, "As the prominence of biologics grows in the global fight against viruses and disease, we're honored to work alongside Wheeler in providing flexible spaces that can support the continued evolution of this important work."

Once complete, the facility will include ballroom room GMP production suites, QC lab, GMP warehouse, and offices, providing Wheeler's customers with master cell banking, drug substance manufacturing, testing, and release services.

About Wheeler Bio
Wheeler Bio is a biomanufacturing pioneer, founded by a team of industry experts and strategic investors who believe a different CDMO model is needed to help innovators reach their clinical milestones faster. Wheeler's novel hub-and-spoke operational model, centered in the biomanufacturing metro of Oklahoma City (OKC) and integrated with discovery CROs, will revolutionize the speed of drug development. Wheeler Bio's technology platform, Portable CMC™, simplifies the path between drug discovery and clinical manufacturing by standardizing and democratizing the innovation-to-impact process. A new bridge for translating discoveries to IND filing, innovators benefit from increased momentum during technology transfer, shorter timelines, and lower costs. Join the Wheeler Bio community by visiting www.wheelerbio.com, or following Wheeler Bio on LinkedIn.

About CRB:
CRB is a leading provider of sustainable engineering, architecture, construction, and consulting solutions to the food and beverage and life sciences industries. Led by its innovative ONEsolution™ service, CRB provides successful integrated project delivery for clients demanding high-quality solutions, on time and within budget. The company's nearly 1,800 employees provide world-class solutions that drive success and positive change for their clients, people, and communities. CRB is a privately held company with a rich history of serving clients throughout the world, consistently striving for the highest standard of technical knowledge, creativity, and execution. See us at crbgroup.com, and on social media.

CONTACT:
Wheeler Bio:
405-421-9777
Roger Lias, [email protected]

CRB:
816-200-5234
Chris Clark, [email protected]

877-887-7611
Bonnie Quintanilla, [email protected]

SOURCE CRB