Ireland’s first commercial-scale gene therapy manufacturing site, operated by MeiraGTx, was unveiled today in a ceremony attended by Taoiseach Micheál Martin in Shannon. 

The 150,000 sq ft facility develops curative treatments for illnesses such as Parkinson's Disease, as well as inherited diseases such as vision loss or salivary-gland conditions, with the potential for treatments against diabetes or some forms of cancer.

The facility will see both viral vector production (which delivers genetic material into cells) as well as the manufacturing of plasmid DNA, which is a vital starting component of viral vector technology.  

In addition, the facility will host a quality control hub that will perform advanced biomedical quality testing. 

According to the company. the placement of the vital components of gene-therapy in one facility will have numerous benefits, such as the ease of transportation and cost, the lessening of bottleneck delays and the reduction of regulatory risks. 

In Association with

MeiraGTx collaborated with the University of Limerick and the National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training, and chose Shannon due to its proximity to other biomedical industry leaders, and other healthcare partners.

Speaking at the launch, Micheál Martin commented: “Great strides are being made in the area of gene therapy and I’ve no doubt that these new facilities will allow MeiraGTx to remain at the forefront of that development.”

President and CEEO of MeiraGTx, Alexandria Forbes, added: “MeiraGTx’s Shannon facility is unique, not only in Ireland but globally, as it streamlines gene therapy development, testing and manufacturing capabilities together in-house. This significantly reduces the time to patients for advanced therapeutic products, with months or potentially years saved.”

MeiraGTx has facilities in New York, London and Amsterdam, and its new Shannon facility will see 100 initial jobs created, with the potential for 300 more in the near future.