Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies U.S.A., Inc. (FDBU), a subsidiary of Fujifilm Corporation, has agreed to acquire Kalon Biotherapeutics, a biopharmaceutical contract manufacturing organization based in College Station, Texas and with expertise in vaccine manufacturing. The agreement was signed with owners of Kalon: the State of Texas, acting by and through the Office of the Governor, and The Texas A&M University System (TAMUS). At the initial closing of this transaction expected to occur within the next few months, FDBU will acquire a 49% of the total membership interests in Kalon and will be entitled to appoint a majority of Kalon's board members. Thereafter, FDBU may increase its interest share up to 100% based on achievement of certain milestones set forth in the purchase agreement.

Kalon was founded in 2011 by TAMUS. It is a  subcontractor to one of the three Centers For Innovation In Advanced Development and Manufacturing awarded by the US Department of Health and Human Services, Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority to develop and manufacture medical countermeasures to protect public health in emergencies, including incidents of bioterrorism or an outbreak of pandemic influenza.

Kalon's focus is in manufacturing vaccines using mammalian cell cultures. It has the capacity to use up to 20 mobile cleanrooms (MCRs), which can be installed at the National Center for Therapeutics Manufacturing facility that is operated by Kalon. The MCRs enable concurrent manufacturing of several types of vaccines. Moreover, the ability to easily expand the number of MCRs allows for prompt response to increasing capacity demands. These MCRs are suitable not only for cell-cultured vaccines, but also for all kinds of biopharmaceuticals, including antibodies.

Source: Fujifilm