New manufacturing facility the 'crown jewel' of Tonix Pharmaceuticals' pandemic efforts
DARTMOUTH — With a vaccine in development to prevent smallpox and monkeypox and a focus on new products to combat potential novel or emerging pathogens, Tonix Pharmaceuticals also continues its work aimed at helping people with chronic disorders of the central nervous system and rare diseases.
Co-founder, CEO and Chairman Dr. Seth Lederman calls the clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company’s new Advanced Development Center in North Dartmouth in the New Bedford Business Park its crown jewel of its efforts to participate in pandemic preparedness.
During a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Tonix facility Tuesday afternoon, 10 months after the ground-breaking, Lederman talked about the work that will be happening inside to develop vaccines to treat a range of infectious diseases and disorders.
“This facility will transform our efforts across the research and development spectrum in support of vital national health interests, providing a vast domestic capability to develop and product countermeasures to defeat COVID-19, monkeypox, smallpox and any future threats as they may emerge,” he said.
To show support for culture in the New Bedford community, Lederman presented a $50,000 donation to Zeiterion Performing Art Center Executive Director Rosemary Gill and Beppie Huidekoper, representing the board of directors.
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A sign of diverse economic growth
With Massachusetts recognized as a leader in life sciences and biotechnology, Congressman Bill Keating said Tonix exemplifies the potential for growth in Greater New Bedford, with Dartmouth officials successfully securing the company’s commitment and New Bedford recognized as a platinum bioready community. (Ninety Massachusetts cities and towns are designated "bioready" for having adopted local policies that encourage the renovation or new construction of biotech laboratory and manufacturing facilities).
Keating said they are seeing the prospects of new, well-paying jobs turning into reality and seeing the opportunity for a diverse economic growth in a region that also anticipates positive impacts from offshore wind and traditional industries including tourism.
“There are over 50,000 college graduates annually right in this region to supply jobs, and the relative cost of housing and real estate is terrific here compared to what is happening in other areas,” he said.
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Keating thanked the employees and prospective new hires for the work they are doing with the goal of turning hope into reality for those suffering from life-altering illnesses including fibromyalgia and chronic migraine and in cases of organ transplant rejection for the difference they can make in people’s lives.
Why Tonix chose New Bedford Business Park
The 45-000-square-foot facility Biosafety Level 2 site capable of complex, clinical-scale manufacturing of live virus vaccines is staffed by 32 employees but the hiring process is ongoing. At full capacity, the facility can employ a staff of up to 70 researchers, scientists and support staff.
After determining that the Boston area made the most sense for a facility of its kind, Lederman started looking for a site on Route 128. However, even in a pandemic, 128 was a traffic jam, and the team started looking elsewhere. The New Bedford Business Park was selected as the site.
“What led us here primarily was the product that we’re making is a complex product, and there’s nowhere in the world with more expertise in making complex biological products than Boston,” he said. “We were led to look a bit further south and we just decided that this was a really nice fit.”
Lederman was a professor for about 20 years at Columbia Medical School and worked in some of the same areas as the staff at Tonix.
He said the willingness of the communities of Dartmouth and New Bedford to work with the company and the commute from Worcester and other locations for an eager and willing workforce helped determine the location.
Mayor Jon Mitchell along with Dartmouth officials including Select Board Chair David Tatelbaum, Town Administrator Shawn MacInnes, Planning Director Christine O’Grady and Director of Development Cody Haddad celebrated the choice of location.
Mitchell thanked Lederman for leading the way for the biotech industry in the New Bedford area and recognizing the area’s ability to develop a skilled workforce.
“This is the place that can be competitive, not just in commercial fishing, as important as that is to us, not just in offshore wind, as important that will be to us, or in the maritime sector and traditional manufacturing, but also higher up the value chain in research,” he said.
Undersecretary of the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development Ashley Stolba, who oversees many public infrastructure projects for the Baker-Polito Administration, said the life sciences industry is such an important part of the Commonwealth’s growth.
“We’re so grateful for companies like Tonix for choosing not only Massachusetts but the SouthCoast,” she said. “Southeastern Massachusetts continues to grow as the hub for life sciences and biotech development, and in doing so you’re helping our administration achieve our goals of staying on the cutting edge of innovation.”
According to Director of Facilities and Engineering Bill Riordan, the product development labs are online, operational and licensed by the Centers for Disease Control, and the manufacturing teams are expected to begin their work Aug. 1 with the goal of producing their first batch by the end of the year.
Standard-Times staff writer Kathryn Gallerani can be reached at kgallerani@wickedlocal.com. Follow her on Twitter: @kgallreporter. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Standard-Times today.
This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Tonix Pharmaceuticals opens advanced development center in Dartmouth
