AbCellera Breaks Ground on Global HQ in Vancouver

AbCellera, a technology company that has developed a centralized operating system for next-generation antibody discovery and development, has broken ground on an expanded global headquarters in its home city of Vancouver in anticipation of adding hundreds of employees to its current 250-person workforce over the next few years.

“We’re building state-of-the-art facilities in Vancouver to accelerate the development of new antibody therapies with biotech and pharma partners from around the world,” said Carl Hansen, CEO and president, AbCellera. “We intend for this technology campus to serve as a place where talented people can contribute to dramatically improving and accelerating antibody discovery for the benefit of patients everywhere.”

Located on 4th Avenue between Columbia and Manitoba Streets in Mount Pleasant, the company’s planned tech campus includes two facilities totaling 380,000 square feet that will be developed in partnership with the Dayhu Group and Beedie. The facilities are expected to be completed in 2023 and 2024.

AbCellera’s antibody drug discovery platform uses microfluidics, machine learning, computation, custom robotics, and automation to search and analyze natural immune systems at record speed and depth. Hansen noted that the complexity of the technology stack, along with the fact that it is being used in entirely new ways to search, decode, and analyze antibodies, requires a uniquely skilled workforce.

“Vancouver is home to a wealth of talent and a network of world-leading tech companies and startups,” said Véronique Lecault, chief operating officer, AbCellera. “We see this new site as a creative hub for engineers, software developers, data scientists, biologists and bioinformaticians to collaborate, innovate, and push the frontiers of technology. Our company puts significant value on ambitious, adventurous thinkers who are energized by solving hard, important problems in entirely new ways.”

AbCellera’s long-term vision in Vancouver includes building Canada’s first clinical-grade Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) antibody manufacturing facility, which will provide technology and infrastructure to help Canada respond to future pandemics.