Genesis’ Insights: Pioneering Personalized Healthcare Infrastructure

Genesis AEC’s Vice President of Construction, Mark Gagnon, talked to Pharma’s Almanac’s Nigel Walker, during their Road to 50 States trip to address:

• What’s the next big thing in pharma?
• What are the ongoing challenges involved in repurposing older facilities?
• What drivers go into determining whether a project will be stick built or modular? And when is that decision made?
• Where is the industry going in the next few years?

Pioneering Personalized Healthcare Infrastructure for the Future

Genesis AEC, headquartered in Greater Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is a firm at the epicenter of change. Gagnon revealed insights gathered from his 100-odd peers across the country, disclosing that a revolutionary shift is underway. Bioprinting and the rise of personalized healthcare and gene therapies are transforming the once homogenous pharmaceutical infrastructure into tailored facilities.

“Most medicine right now is conducted in big pharma, in large batch. It’s a broad spectrum of people, but we’ve seen therapeutics be much more effective if they’re personalized,” Gagnon said. With gene therapies like CAR-T utilizing patients’ genetics to support cures, there is a clear departure from mass-produced medicine.

Cutting-edge advancements also include the adoption of single-use disposable manufacturing, which circumvents cross-contamination risks and streamlines sterilization procedures. It accelerates the journey for small pharma from clinical to commercial stages, providing a faster, more efficient route to market.

However, the transformative journey toward multi-molecule facilities is not without its challenges. As Gagnon explained, the dilemma often lies in choosing between renovating existing facilities or starting anew. Off-site locations lend themselves to modular builds and componentization, limiting on-site labor—crucial during pandemic times. However, renovating existing facilities demands careful consideration of current operations and potential downtime.

Regardless of the path chosen, Gagnon stresses the importance of early integration between design, construction, and qualification. Understanding the client’s needs and goals at the onset enables Genesis AEC to advise the most cost and time effective solutions. The interplay between stick-built and modular approaches often hinges on factors such as labor availability, project location, and time to market.

Pharma 4.0

The conversation also touched on the wider implications of the industry’s direction. The age of Pharma 4.0 brings with it a need for skills in data dynamics, bioinformatics, and data mining. Gagnon believes this is not exclusive to pharma and biotech companies; wearable tech and the resulting data-driven analytics will open a new world of opportunities in pharma for those outside of traditional engineering, construction, and commissioning roles.

“In the journey to Pharma 4.0, data analytics will provide a significant opportunity for individuals who may not have considered careers in pharma,” said Gagnon.

As the future of personalized healthcare infrastructure continues to evolve toward personalized medicine, gene therapy, and data-driven decision-making, which require different skill sets, manufacturing processes, and even building designs, Genesis AEC continues to serve as a pioneer, helping their clients navigate the next phase in pharmaceutical development.

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