Astellas is opening a second location of Universal Cells, its wholly owned subsidiary, at a research campus in Japan and transferring 12 roles from Universal’s Seattle location.
Astellas Pharma will eliminate 24 roles at Universal Cells, its wholly owned subsidiary in Seattle, and transfer 12 of them to a new Universal site opening at the pharma’s research campus in Tsukuba, Japan, according to Fierce Pharma. Employees at the Tsukuba location, which will reportedly be Universal’s second facility, will fill the transferred roles.
Regarding the role changes and new site, an Astellas spokesperson told Fierce the company regularly reviews its organizations and operations to increase efficiency and leverage new technologies and innovation. The spokesperson added that the move should expand Universal Cells’ gene editing capabilities and evolve it into a center of excellence for cell therapy R&D.
Astellas acquired Universal for $102.5 million in 2018. The subsidiary produces engineered stem cell lines designed to avoid rejection and be used in allogeneic cell therapy treatments.
This week’s news marks the second major milestone for an Astellas business in recent months. Astellas Gene Therapies is in the process of closing its San Francisco biomanufacturing facility, a move that will affect about 100 employees. The closure is expected to be complete in March 2025, with all programs and projects shifting to Astellas Gene Therapies’ Sanford, North Carolina, site.
In addition, the company announced in September that it’s opened the Astellas Life Sciences Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts. About 400 Astellas employees will work in the facility, which was designed to accelerate innovation across the state by connecting incubators, biotechnology start-ups and academia, according to the announcement.
