1. Ms. Cimitan, you are the CEO of Celonic in Basel. Would you briefly explain who Celonic is?
The Celonic Group is a mid-sized “Pure play” Biologics Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) with over 500 employees. Celonic’s mission is to help its customers, primarily small to large Biotech and Biosimilar companies bring life-saving and improving therapies to patients reliably, faster and more cost effectively from development all the way to commercial manufacturing.

These biologic drugs such as monoclonal antibodies are used to treat a variety of diseases ranging from oncology, autoimmune disorders, all the way to metabolic diseases such as diabetes and obesity. We pride ourselves in providing the technical expertise like the other well-known larger CDMOs, but have the agility and collaboration mindset of a family owned business. At the Rosental Mitte site in Basel, Celonic has its state of the art “next-generation” Biologics Development Center (BDC) and non-GMP Pilot Plant.

2. What does your concept entail, and what are your goals?
Celonic is a trailblazer in adopting next-generation bioprocessing technologies, including process intensification and full perfusion, with a clear aim to reduce the cost of goods per gram for bulk drug substances. These innovations are critical to making biologics more accessible to patients worldwide, while alleviating the financial burden on society and healthcare systems at a global scale.

By leveraging these cutting-edge approaches, we aim to enhance the productivity of single-use bioprocessing systems, delivering greater flexibility, cost efficiency, and a more sustainable footprint compared to traditional manufacturing processes.

3. Why did you choose Rosental Mitte as your company location?
Basel is a global center for Pharma and Biotech and is the ideal choice for a company like Celonic to thrive in. Proximity to domestic as well as global customers, access to highly quality personnel as well as cutting-edge technology providers are all important factors.

Celonic has chosen Rosental Mitte for multiple reasons including its central location, the ecosystem of entrepreneurial healthcare companies, as well as very good infrastructure access by all forms of transport. Celonic’s relationship with Immobilien Basel-Stadt, the Departement für Wirtschaft des Kantons Basel-Stadt as well as other bodies such as Basel Area Business and Innovation are excellent and very supportive. Celonic is expanding at the Rosental Mitte site and will occupy now 3 floors of labs and offices as of 2025.

4. How is the interaction with the other companies?
Celonic seeks to both contribute to and benefit from the Rosental Mitte ecosystem. We have been actively engaging with select companies offering complementary services to broaden our capabilities and expand our offerings. This collaborative environment fosters knowledge exchange and strengthens our position as a valuable player in the ecosystem.

For further information Celonic.