Merck’s new €290m biosafety testing facility in Rockville features advanced testing capabilities. Credit: Merck/Business Wire.

Germany-based Merck KGaA has announced the launch of a new €290m ($317.6m) biosafety testing facility in Rockville, Maryland, US.

The 23,000m² Rockville facility will provide a range of services, including biosafety testing, analytical development and cell banking manufacturing.

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By consolidating labs from four buildings into one, the facility aims to enhance collaboration among scientists and introduce higher levels of automation and digitalisation, thereby improving “right first-time” metrics.

Since 2019, Merck has been expanding its biosafety testing capabilities to serve clients worldwide.

Their network spans Shanghai, Singapore, Stirling and Glasgow, and now includes the enhanced Rockville site.

The facility’s advanced testing capabilities are set to offer faster virus testing of bulk harvest material, reducing the timeline from 35 days to just 14 days.

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The Rockville facility features the Blazar CHO Animal Origin Free (AOF) panel, part of a rapid methods package that significantly accelerates virus testing.

Merck’s broad multi-modality testing portfolio, which includes the Blazar CHO AOF panel and the Aptegra platform to offer high-quality testing services and regulatory capabilities to bring life-changing therapies to patients rapidly.

Merck Life Science business life science services head Benjamin Hein stated: “This expansion is the largest investment in contract testing in Merck’s history and will allow us to drive automation and technology development in one integrated hub.

“It reflects our commitment to providing our clients with disruptive platforms that shorten biosafety testing timelines, meet the growing global demand, and ensure the safety of the world’s medicines for patients.”

In June 2024, Merck announced a €62m ($66.6m) investment to construct a new quality control facility for its Life Science business at its Darmstadt headquarters.