Genezen Laboratories Inc. a cell and gene therapy Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO), has further strengthened its senior leadership team with the appointment of Brok Weichbrodt as Vice President of Operations.
Previously the Director of Commercial Operations at Catalent, Weichbrodt has over 15 years of industry experience, and will oversee a number of departments at Genezen including manufacturing, facilities maintenance and calibration, validation, EHS, supply chain, and capital projects.
He will also take responsibility for completion of phase 1 of Genezen’s capital expansion project which encompasses the construction of a new 25,000 sq. ft. facility scheduled for completion later this year.
In addition, he aims to further improve Genezen’s already high quality standards through the creation of new teams and processes, and continue to foster an environment that values communication, problem solving, and diversity.
Weichbrodt said: “This is an exciting time to be in the cell and gene therapy field and I’m thrilled to join the Genezen team.
“My goal is to help our employees grow and continually improve our operations. Our people, facility, and expertise are an engine that will accelerate the development and manufacture of viral vector products for our clients. I’m proud to play a role in bringing therapies to patients that have an opportunity to not just treat diseases, but to potentially cure them.”
News of Weichbrodt’s appointment comes at a time of major growth for the Indianapolis-based organization. With a unique knowledge and expertise in lentiviral vector production and retroviral vector production, Genezen specializes in early-phase process development, vector production and analytical testing services.
In addition to the appointment of Weichbrodt and three expert board members over the past few months, Genezen has also made a significant investment in state of the art, automated, completely closed technology to provide the newest advances in viral vector manufacturing, including the iCELLis bioreactor system by Pall Corporation and the RoSS.FILL fill and finish system by Single Use Support.
Bill Vincent, Chairman and CEO of Genezen said: “This is a very exciting time for Genezen and we’re thrilled to welcome Brok to the team. His experience in drug product manufacturing is exceptional, and he will play a pivotal role in driving the business forward – allowing us to bring life-changing therapies to market.”
