·       Berlin Center for Gene and Cell Therapies aspires to create a leading biotech ecosystem in Berlin

·       Federal Chancellor Scholz acknowledges the importance of the project for Germany

·       Governing Mayor of Berlin Kai Wegner assures support from the State of Berlin

·       Construction planned to start in 2025

Berlin, Germany, June 21, 2024 – Today Bayer AG, together with Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, presented plans for the construction of the Berlin Center for Gene and Cell Therapies. The project is being substantially financed and supported by Germany’s Federal Government as well as the State of Berlin. The aim of the joint project is to bring these groundbreaking technologies to patients more quickly while creating a leading biotech ecosystem for innovative therapies in Berlin.

The potential for cell and gene therapies (CGTs) is considered to be enormous. By targeting diseases at the genetic and cellular level, CGTs could offer options to people for whom conventional therapies have failed or where no effective treatment is currently available.

In order to translate basic research into benefits for patients faster, Charité and Bayer will establish the Berlin Center for Gene and Cell Therapies on the Bayer campus at Berlin Nordhafen. The center will support start-ups bringing their innovative approaches in the area of cell therapies and gene therapies into clinical development. To achieve this, the center will include a so-called incubator with fully equipped laboratory space and a production area certified according to the standards of good manufacturing practice (GMP). Incubators are facilities that accompany start-ups developing their innovative ideas and helping them build viable business models. These early-stage companies will receive advice on regulatory requirements, clinical trials, patent rights and business development. To operate the incubator, Bayer and Charité will establish a joint public-private, non-profit company with limited liability. Charité will own 67 percent of this company, with Bayer owning the remaining 33 percent.

The Berlin Center for Gene and Cell Therapies will bring together research, development and the manufacturing of cell therapies and gene therapies in the heart of Berlin. Purposely embedding it within the Berlin ecosystem, a European capital with a large number of biomedical and healthcare facilities, it is intended to become a creative and interactive hub for biotech innovations in the area of CGT. The project is funded by both the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the State of Berlin. Construction is planned to begin in 2025.