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MUNICH, Aug. 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Minaris Advanced Therapies, a leading global contract development and manufacturing organization and testing provider, has announced the opening of its new GMP manufacturing facility in Munich, Germany. The facility, located in Taufkirchen, strengthens Minaris' global manufacturing network and reinforces its position as a trusted partner in advancing cutting-edge therapies from concept to commercialization.
Minaris' new facility builds on over 10 years of experience in both the clinical and commercial manufacture of advanced therapies. The facility is built to support technology transfer of commercial advanced therapies into Europe. The new facility enabled the consolidation of process and analytical development, and all the legacy manufacturing operations onto a single site. Located just minutes from the Munich International Airport, the new facility offers a strategic logistical advantage for clients across Europe and beyond.
The site includes:
- Six Grade B/A cleanrooms for aseptic manufacturing
- One Grade C cleanroom designed for bioreactors and closed systems with convertible capability to A/B grade
- Customizable cleanroom configurations and 224 m² (2411 ft2) of expansion space
- Independently controlled HVAC systems for each cleanroom suite to reduce downtime and enable true parallel production activities
- Dedicated process development and quality control laboratories
- Cryopreservation and storage facilities
- Enhanced alarming and safety systems
"The opening of this facility marks an important milestone in our mission to accelerate the development and manufacturing of transformative cell and gene therapies globally," said Dr. Orla Cloak, Chief Executive Officer of Minaris Advanced Therapies. "It enhances our European footprint and enhances our ability to meet client needs with speed, quality, and scalability."
"This facility embodies our shared vision for the future of cell and gene therapy manufacturing—scalable, flexible, and globally integrated," said Iain Baird, Chairman of the Board, Minaris Advanced Therapies. "The seamless transition into this new facility is a testament to the dedication of our team in Germany and the commitment Minaris Advanced Therapies has to bring long-term value to clients and patients worldwide."
Minaris hosted an opening celebration at the new site on Thursday, July 31.
About Minaris Advanced Therapies
Minaris Advanced Therapies is a global contract development and manufacturing organization and contract testing provider with a focus on cell and gene therapies. Minaris Advanced Therapies is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and has more than 650,000 square feet of infrastructure across the United States, Europe and Asia. The organization has manufactured and released over 7,500 GMP batches and has a global network that supports therapy developers through early-stage development, clinical trials and commercial manufacturing.
Minaris Advanced Therapies is a portfolio company of Altaris.
About Altaris
Altaris is an investment firm with an exclusive focus on acquiring and building companies in the healthcare industry. Since its inception in 2003, Altaris has invested in more than 50 companies across a range of healthcare sub-sectors, with a consistent goal of delivering value to the healthcare system and generating attractive financial returns for investors. Altaris is headquartered in New York City and manages $10 billion of equity capital. For more information, please visit www.altariscap.com
Media Contact:
Tihesha Aaron
corp.communications@minaris.com
MUNICH, Aug. 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Minaris Advanced Therapies, a leading global contract development and manufacturing organization and testing provider, has announced the opening of its new GMP manufacturing facility in Munich, Germany. The facility, located in Taufkirchen, strengthens Minaris' global manufacturing network and reinforces its position as a trusted partner in advancing cutting-edge therapies from concept to commercialization.
Minaris' new facility builds on over 10 years of experience in both the clinical and commercial manufacture of advanced therapies. The facility is built to support technology transfer of commercial advanced therapies into Europe. The new facility enabled the consolidation of process and analytical development, and all the legacy manufacturing operations onto a single site. Located just minutes from the Munich International Airport, the new facility offers a strategic logistical advantage for clients across Europe and beyond.
The site includes:
- Six Grade B/A cleanrooms for aseptic manufacturing
- One Grade C cleanroom designed for bioreactors and closed systems with convertible capability to A/B grade
- Customizable cleanroom configurations and 224 m² (2411 ft2) of expansion space
- Independently controlled HVAC systems for each cleanroom suite to reduce downtime and enable true parallel production activities
- Dedicated process development and quality control laboratories
- Cryopreservation and storage facilities
- Enhanced alarming and safety systems
"The opening of this facility marks an important milestone in our mission to accelerate the development and manufacturing of transformative cell and gene therapies globally," said Dr. Orla Cloak, Chief Executive Officer of Minaris Advanced Therapies. "It enhances our European footprint and enhances our ability to meet client needs with speed, quality, and scalability."
"This facility embodies our shared vision for the future of cell and gene therapy manufacturing—scalable, flexible, and globally integrated," said Iain Baird, Chairman of the Board, Minaris Advanced Therapies. "The seamless transition into this new facility is a testament to the dedication of our team in Germany and the commitment Minaris Advanced Therapies has to bring long-term value to clients and patients worldwide."
Minaris hosted an opening celebration at the new site on Thursday, July 31.
About Minaris Advanced Therapies
Minaris Advanced Therapies is a global contract development and manufacturing organization and contract testing provider with a focus on cell and gene therapies. Minaris Advanced Therapies is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and has more than 650,000 square feet of infrastructure across the United States, Europe and Asia. The organization has manufactured and released over 7,500 GMP batches and has a global network that supports therapy developers through early-stage development, clinical trials and commercial manufacturing.
Minaris Advanced Therapies is a portfolio company of Altaris.
About Altaris
Altaris is an investment firm with an exclusive focus on acquiring and building companies in the healthcare industry. Since its inception in 2003, Altaris has invested in more than 50 companies across a range of healthcare sub-sectors, with a consistent goal of delivering value to the healthcare system and generating attractive financial returns for investors. Altaris is headquartered in New York City and manages $10 billion of equity capital. For more information, please visit www.altariscap.com
Media Contact:
Tihesha Aaron
corp.communications@minaris.com
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
Minaris Advanced Therapies Opens New State-of-the-Art GMP Facility to Support Global Cell and Gene Therapy Growth
ALULA, Saudi Arabia, Jan. 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Today marks the official opening of Desert X AlUla 2026, the landmark fourth edition of the international, open-air biennial exhibition. Arts AlUla, in collaboration with Desert X, welcomes visitors to experience a stellar line-up of Saudi and international multi-generational artists whose site-responsive earthworks, sculptures, and installations will engage in a powerful dialogue with the awe-inspiring landscapes and layered heritage of AlUla.
As a premier destination rich in ancient history and breathtaking nature, AlUla, located in Northwest Saudi Arabia, solidifies its position on the global stage as a dynamic, emerging land art destination with Desert X AlUla, the region's first public art biennale, and a key highlight of the AlUla Arts Festival.
The 2026 edition of Desert X AlUla brings together 11 acclaimed artists whose diverse works reflect a wide spectrum of ideas, materials, and traditions. From monumental kinetic sculpture to sound-based explorations above and below ground, each commission is deeply rooted in relationships to AlUla's distinctive environment, further cementing Desert X AlUla's reputation as a globally significant platform for site-responsive land art.
Desert X AlUla runs until February 28, 2026, as a cornerstone of the annual AlUla Arts Festival. Curated by Wejdan Reda, Zoé Whitley, with artistic direction by Neville Wakefield, and Raneem Farsi, its fourth edition explores 'Space Without Measure.' Inspired by Kahlil Gibran, the theme fosters contemplation of imagination within AlUla's natural settings. The exhibition, set in the desert canyons of AlUla, serves as a pre-opening programme for Wadi AlFann, offering a pivotal glimpse into AlUla's plans to create a permanent land art 'Valley of the Arts.'
Hamad Alhomiedan, Director of Arts & Creative Industries at the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU), said: "At Desert X AlUla 2026, audiences will engage with art that deeply converses with AlUla's unique landscapes and rich heritage. These compelling commissions highlight AlUla's dynamic transformation into a major global destination, where ancient and contemporary expressions converge. This exhibition is part of our broader revitalisation of AlUla as a culturally rich destination to live, work and visit and integral to positioning AlUla in the global dialogue of contemporary art and as a precursor to monumental projects like Wadi AlFann."
Participating artist/artworks are:
- Sara Abdu, A Kingdom Where No One Dies: Contours of Resonance
- Mohammad Alfaraj, What was the Question Again?
- Mohammed AlSaleem, The Thorn, AlShuruf Unit, The Triangles, Flower Bud, and Al Ahilla (courtesy of Royal Commission for Riyadh City)
- Tarek Atoui, The Water Song
- Bahraini-Danish, Bloom
- Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons, Imole Red
- Agnes Denes, The Living Pyramid
- Ibrahim El-Salahi, Haraza Tree
- Basmah Felemban, Murmur of Pebbles
- Vibha Galhotra, Future Fables
- Héctor Zamora, Tar HyPar
For further information, please contact:
Sabrine.Shaw@bursonglobal.com
AlUlaArtsFestival@bursonglobal.com
Multimedia gallery:
High-resolution photos of all 11 artists and their artworks can be found here.
About AlUla and Arts AlUla
Located 1,100 km from Riyadh, in North-West Saudi Arabia, AlUla is a place of extraordinary natural and human heritage. The vast area, covering 22,561km², includes a lush oasis valley, towering sandstone mountains and ancient cultural heritage sites dating back thousands of years to when the Lihyan and Nabataean kingdoms reigned.
The most well-known and recognised site in AlUla is Hegra, the principal southern city of the Nabataean Kingdom and Saudi Arabia's first UNESCO World Heritage Site. AlUla is also home to ancient Dadan, the capital of the Dadan and Lihyan Kingdoms and considered to be one of the most developed 1st millennium BCE cities of the Arabian Peninsula, and Jabal Ikmah, an open air library of hundreds of inscriptions and writings in many different languages. AlUla Old Town Village, a labyrinth of more than 900 mudbrick homes was developed from at least the 12th century and has been revitalised as the vibrant hub for visitors and residents.
The creation of Arts AlUla within The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) is a commitment to crafting the next chapters in a millennia of artistic creation – celebrating cultural inheritance and shaping a future inspired by artists built be artists. The work of Arts AlUla seeks to preserve this legacy: fuse the old with the new; the local with the international, keeping the arts central to the spirit of AlUla as a place of extraordinary natural and human heritage.
Wadi AlFann, meaning 'Valley of the Arts,' will be a global cultural destination for land art, unveiling from 2028 onwards, where era-defining works by artists from around the world will be permanently sited in the monumental landscape of AlUla, the extraordinary desert region of north-west Saudi Arabia.
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
Desert X AlUla 2026: monumental land art exhibition opens in the ancient oasis of AlUla
