From Innovation to Impact: Building on Pittsburgh’s Legacy to Industrialize Advanced Therapies

The future of genetic medicine depends on transforming bespoke science into reliable, repeatable manufacturing that can scale globally while controlling costs – ultimately moving advanced therapies from concept to cure. It’s a challenge that echoes Pittsburgh’s own transformation. Just as the city once manufactured the steel that built America, we’re now building the future of healthcare through cell and gene therapy.

It’s this backdrop that shaped our recent discussions with the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology (NSCEB) when they visited BaseCamp Pittsburgh, ElevateBio’s biomanufacturing center at the former industrial site Hazelwood Green, expected to be operational in 2027. During the visit, we discussed NSCEB’s top priorities: scaling and de-risking U.S. biomanufacturing, expanding capacity and workforce talent, and ensuring that American biotechnology innovation remains globally competitive.

ElevateBio is directly aligned with NSCEB’s goals. We leverage deep experience and technical expertise to meet the complex demands of advanced therapy manufacturing, strengthen domestic production capacity, and help fuel the future of medicine.

Industrializing Advanced Therapies

Today, many cell and gene therapies are being produced through unsustainable processes. They hold scientific promise, but manufacturing is expensive and manually intensive. To change this, ElevateBio is industrializing these therapies by implementing standardized, repeatable manufacturing processes and deploying next-generation technologies and automated systems. Taken together, we can enable consistent, large-scale production while simultaneously reducing operational costs. It’s this shift that will move advanced therapies from highly customized, small-batch efforts to sustainable, commercial-ready solutions.

This is what’s required to get these medicines to the patients who need them. By building a proper manufacturing infrastructure, we can expand to treatments for a broad range of conditions, including cancer, autoimmune disorders, and rare genetic diseases.

Expanding U.S. Biomanufacturing Capacity

Industrializing advanced therapies requires purpose-built facilities capable of supporting programs from preclinical development through commercial scale. BaseCamp Pittsburgh was designed from the ground up to meet these needs, offering flexible manufacturing suites across cell therapy, gene therapy, viral vector, and mRNA platforms.

The facility features a dedicated technology lab designed to evaluate new products and seamlessly integrate innovation into manufacturing operations. Its intentional design aligns materials, workflows, personnel, and information to minimize variability, increase efficiency, and elevate product quality.

Within this lab, we are expanding the traditional role of the manufacturing execution system to accelerate the transfer of new products and innovations into our manufacturing suites. At the same time, it enables more realistic, hands-on training for manufacturing associates – reducing onboarding time while strengthening quality and compliance.

Cultivating the Next Generation of Biomanufacturing Talent

To make this vision a reality, we must invest not only in infrastructure, but also in the people who operate these complex systems. Pittsburgh knows how to build things – and just as importantly, it knows how to train the people who build things. We are building on the strength of Pittsburgh’s leading academic and research institutions – including the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC – and drawing on the region’s deep expertise in AI and automation to advance high-tech biomanufacturing while prioritizing workforce development. Our initiatives include:

• 170 permanent, full-time positions, many not requiring postgraduate education
• Partnerships with community colleges to support diverse educational pathways
• Hands-on, cross-disciplinary training for career changers and early-career talent
• Collaboration with local industry to identify candidates with existing, transferable skills

These programs reflect ElevateBio’s commitment to building inclusive pathways into advanced biomedical manufacturing, ensuring the next generation of talent can support the growth of U.S. cell and gene therapy production.

Strengthening U.S. Leadership in Biotechnology

Industrializing therapies and building talent sets the stage for reinforcing U.S. leadership in biotechnology. By onshoring production, we can significantly accelerate development timelines, reduce supply chain risk and increase resilience. Leveraging U.S.-based innovation further strengthens the nation’s position at the forefront of global biotechnology. Creating specialized manufacturing hubs like Pittsburgh helps drive the next era of American manufacturing, fostering regional economic growth and technical expertise.

Bringing biomanufacturing to Pittsburgh represents a tangible step in expanding our operations and proving the United States’ ability to produce next-generation medicines reliably and efficiently.

Looking Ahead

The progress at BaseCamp Pittsburgh continues at full pace. Construction has entered its next phase along the Monongahela Riverfront, transforming our long-term vision into physical reality. The facility’s core and shell is complete and meaningful progress has been made on the internal build out. ElevateBio plans to receive a Certificate of Occupancy this year, bringing us closer to making this vision operational.

ElevateBio is proud to extend Pittsburgh’s manufacturing legacy into advanced therapies. By industrializing complex science, strengthening the regional life sciences ecosystem, and training the workforce of tomorrow, we are ensuring the future of medicine is not just invented - but built, accessible, and ready to change lives.