You wrote: "Advent has customers outside of NWBO that it's making products for. I'm not saying it's a major revenue producer, but it does produce revenue"
Advent BioServices operates multiple facilities in Sawston, with the recent lease at Unity Campus representing a distinct expansion
Main GMP Manufacturing Facility:
Location: Sawston Business Park, Sawston, Cambridge, CB22 3JG, United Kingdom.
Complex: Sawston Business Park (not part of Unity Campus).
Details: This is Advent’s primary facility for multiproduct Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) production, covering approximately 87,000–90,000 square feet. It includes two GMP suites with Grade B/C classified areas, in-house quality control (QC) testing, process development laboratories, warehouse, office space, and a large HTA-licensed cryogenic storage unit capable of storing millions of vials of tissues and cells. The facility, developed since 2016, supports clinical and commercial manufacturing, notably for Northwest Biotherapeutics’ DCVax® cancer vaccine, and received one of the UK’s first commercial cell therapy manufacturing licenses from the MHRA in March 2023.
New Facility at Unity Campus (Cadence Building):
Location: Unity Campus, Sawston, Cambridge, CB22 3FH, United Kingdom.
Complex: Unity Campus (within the broader Sawston Trade Park area).
Details: In March 2025, Advent BioServices signed a 5+5-year lease (five years with an option to renew for another five) for laboratory and office space within the Cadence building at Unity Campus, a science and technology hub developed by the Howard Group. This lease is part of Phase 2 of Unity Campus, which was 87% let upon practical completion in May 2025. The Cadence building, one of three new laboratory-enabled buildings (alongside Sigma and Orion), offers high-quality CL2 laboratory space and is designed to support life science innovators. This facility enables Advent to expand and diversify its services, including process development, microbiological testing, quality assurance, and quality control for biotech and drug development companies in the cell and gene therapy sector. The Howard Group oversaw a bespoke CL2 laboratory fit-out for Advent, with Parkeray as the contractor.
It's designed as an urban innovation district with BREEAM Excellent-rated buildings, green spaces, and facilities for life sciences collaboration.
Context: Mike Scott, President of Advent BioServices, noted that the new space will allow the company to expand services amid growing demand. Katherine Friend from Howard Group highlighted how Advent's cell therapy expertise aligns with the campus's focus on innovation.
The bespoke CL2 laboratory fit-out was commissioned to support Advent BioServices’ expansion and diversification of services, specifically for process development, microbiological testing, quality assurance, and quality control for biotech and drug development companies in the cell and gene therapy sector.
The facility enhances Advent’s capacity to serve external clients, complementing its existing GMP manufacturing facilities in Sawston Business Park. It aligns with Unity Campus’s vision as a hub for life science innovation, enabling Advent to scale up its contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) operations.
CL2 Standards: The laboratory is designed to meet Containment Level 2 (CL2) requirements, suitable for handling biological agents with moderate risk (e.g., non-airborne pathogens). This includes robust biosafety measures such as controlled ventilation, sealed surfaces, and specialized equipment to ensure safe handling of biological materials.
Design Features: While specific details of the fit-out’s internal configuration are not fully disclosed, CL2 laboratories typically include:
Ventilation Systems: A minimum of six air changes per hour (6 ACH), with the ability for tenants to upgrade ventilation as needed, as noted in Unity Campus’s Phase 2 design strategy.
Laboratory Equipment: Provisions for ducted fume hoods, cold rooms, bottle wash areas, and potentially tissue culture or molecular biology workstations, tailored to Advent’s needs for cell therapy process development.
Office Integration: The Cadence building supports a 60/40 lab-to-office split, meaning Advent’s space includes high-specification office areas for write-up, quality assurance, and administrative functions, likely in an open-plan format with meeting rooms and break-out areas.
Lease Details: Advent BioServices signed a 5+5-year lease (five years with an option to renew for another five) for laboratory and office space within the Cadence building. The exact square footage leased by Advent is not specified, but the Cadence building totals 32,604 square feet, with 10,825 square feet remaining on the second floor after Advent’s lease and another letting, suggesting Advent’s space is likely on the ground or first floor, possibly around 10,000–15,000 square feet.
Capacity Expansion: The new facility allows Advent to expand its service offerings beyond its existing Sawston Business Park facilities, which focus on GMP manufacturing and storage. The Unity Campus site supports additional process development and testing capabilities, strengthening Advent’s role in South Cambridge’s bioscience cluster.
Second Facility for Off-Site Storage and Additional Manufacturing:
Location: Sawston Business Park, Sawston, Cambridge, CB22 3JG, United Kingdom.
Complex: Sawston Business Park (not part of Unity Campus).
Details: Advent operates an additional facility within Sawston Business Park, separate from the main GMP manufacturing site, to support expanded GMP manufacturing and off-site storage services, including cryogenic storage for external clients. This facility was developed to meet growing demand for cell and gene therapy services and includes cleanroom capacity and disaster recovery storage compliant with UK regulatory standards (e.g., HTA). While specific details about the building or unit within Sawston Business Park are not publicly disclosed, it shares the same postal address as the main facility, indicating it is within the same complex but likely in a different unit or section.
Strategic Significance:
Market Demand: The bespoke fit-out addresses the urgent demand for high-quality, purpose-built laboratory space in Cambridge, where fitted CL2 lab space is scarce. Unity Campus’s Phase 2, including the Cadence building, was 87% let by May 2025, highlighting the rapid uptake of such facilities.
Advent’s Growth: The fit-out supports Advent’s ongoing partnership with Northwest Biotherapeutics (for DCVax® production) and its ambition to serve a broader client base in cell and gene therapy. It complements Advent’s existing GMP facilities in Sawston Business Park, which remain operational for manufacturing and storage.
Comparison to Other Fit-Outs: The CL2 fit-out for Advent is similar to that for ViaNautis in the same Cadence building (first floor, 10,825 sq ft), which includes molecular biology, formulation, and tissue culture laboratories, a chemistry lab with ducted fume hoods, and areas for Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) and scale-up activities. Advent’s fit-out likely follows a similar high-specification model but is customized for its specific process development and testing needs.
Unity Campus, developed by Howard Group, is a 550-acre science and technology park (part of the Sawston area) hosting 14+ life science firms, with Phase 2 (including Cadence, Sigma, and Orion buildings) completed in late 2023/early 2025 to address Cambridge's shortage of R&D space. Advent joins tenants like ViaNautis (nanomedicine firm, also fitted to CL2)
For Advent, this expansion supports their global client base by scaling ATMP production amid rising UK demand for cell therapies.
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