BioPilot Plant

UCB started construction of its biotechnology pilot plant in Braine-l'Alleud, Belgium

On June 4, 2010, the first stone was officially laid for what will most certainly become a centre of excellence in biotechnological development and research, providing treatments for serious diseases.

This investment confirms our intent to anchor our research in Belgium and the construction of the plant is part of the process of transforming UCB into a biopharmaceutical company, focusing on serious illnesses of the central nervous system and on immunological problems.

The main goal of the biotechnological pilot plant's laboratories will be to speed up availability of biotechnological drugs for serious illnesses, concentrating on pilot projects and delivering product for clinical trial activities.

Facts and figures

• Total surface area of 5 100 m², including 800m² of laboratories
•  4 bioreactors with a total capacity of 3 200 litres
• Mammalian cell cultures and the purification of related biotechnological products are used to produce between 40 and 60 kilos of active material per year
• The new plant will have the same development capacity as a conventional plant, while having access to aqueous environments, excluding the use of solvents and reducing the use of chemical products
• Operations are expected to begin in summer 2012
• The plant will employ around one hundred qualified professionals
• UCB's Braine-l'Alleud site currently employs over 1 500 people working in 18 buildings on a 51-hectare site