The most advanced cell therapy infrastructure in the Baltic region is being developed in Vilnius.
Northway Biotech, a leading protein-based biologics and ATMPs CDMO, is finalising the installation of a new, 3,500-square-metre innovative cell therapy and personalised medicine centre at the Vilnius City Innovation Industrial Park (VCIIP). This cell therapy centre is being built by Kamieninių ląstelių tyrimų centras (Stem Cell Research centre), a company belonging to the Northway group of companies. The complex will officially open its doors and commence operations as early as the third quarter of this year.
The new centre is being constructed within the territory of the Bio City III project developed by Northway, where the active expansion of biotechnology infrastructure continues. This is already the second building in this complex – a specialized biotechnology logistics centre was opened here slightly earlier this year. To date, the Northway group has built two biotechnology manufacturing buildings in the Bio City I complex, while the gene therapy centre Celltechna is already operating in the Bio City II territory.
Investments in the new centre amount to EUR 61 million. The project is funded by private capital and a loan from the national development bank ILTE under the Milijardas verslui (Billion for Business) initiative.
The centre will feature 20 independent production lines compliant with cGMP standards, equipped with integrated quality control laboratories, advanced cleanroom systems, and an isolated infrastructure tailored for the production of highly sensitive cell therapies.
This infrastructure will allow for the simultaneous, safe, and efficient production of individualised therapies for different patients, ensuring maximum process sterility, full production traceability, and strict cross-contamination control.
It is planned that the centre will employ around 100 highly qualified specialists in biotechnology, bioengineering, molecular biology, and other life sciences fields.
The new infrastructure significantly contributes to Lithuania’s ambition to become one of the most important life sciences hubs in the Baltic region. The country aims for the life sciences sector to generate up to 5% of the national GDP in the future, and life sciences industrial parks like Bio City represent one of the key steps toward achieving this goal.
CAR-T therapy: The future of cancer treatment using the patient’s own cells
‘In recent years, medicine has been undergoing a fundamental transformation. We are moving toward complete personalization, where the patient’s own modified cells become the medicine’, emphasises Professor Vladas Algirdas Bumelis.
According to him, CAR-T therapy is already being applied in university hospitals today, but one of the biggest challenges remains the complex and limited capacity of producing such therapies. The global cell and gene therapy market is growing extremely rapidly, yet Europe still lacks specialized manufacturing capacities for advanced therapies.
Regenerative and longevity medicine to be developed in Lithuania
According to Professor Bumelis, the new centre will focus not only on treating diseases but also on extending healthy life expectancy and advancing regenerative medicine.
From individualized vaccines to 3D human tissue technologies
The centre will also continue the direction of personalized medicine, which has been under development for many years. Northway Biotech scientists are already manufacturing individualized therapeutic vaccines tailored to specific patients.
The new complex will produce advanced biological medicines in small batches, while isolated production lines will allow for the safe preparation of therapies for dozens of patients simultaneously, completely eliminating the risk of cross-contamination.
One of the most ambitious phases of the project involves 3D human tissue technologies. Scientists will develop living tissue models in laboratories, which could be used in the future for testing new drugs, implementing regenerative medicine solutions, and, in the long term, creating artificial organs.
The entire biologics value chain in one place
A major advantage of the new centre is its integration with the nearby gene therapy centre located in the Bio City II complex, which has been developing and manufacturing gene therapy medicinal products since 2024. This technological proximity will significantly shorten the biological drug manufacturing chain – from the preparation of genetic material to the production of the final cell therapy product.
