A cell and gene therapy headquarters project for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) broke ground Sept. 2 in Guangming, marking the start of construction of the district’s first commercial production base for innovative drugs.

Located in the Xinxinghu area of Matian Subdistrict, the project has a planned floor area of about 25,000 square meters. It will house R&D facilities and a commercial production base for next-generation immune cell therapy products, with the goal of overcoming the limitations of traditional personalized cell therapies and improving access to cell-based treatments for cancer patients.

The project is expected to be completed in 2028 and start operations in 2030. Authorities said it will help strengthen Guangming’s biopharmaceutical sector and attract upstream and downstream companies in the cell and gene therapy industry, supporting the district’s goal of becoming a major hub for the industry in the GBA.

Guangming has been promoting closer integration of biomedical research and industrial development, leveraging major scientific facilities and universities while expanding support for research, clinical applications, industrial space, financing and policies.

The district is home to more than 140 biopharmaceutical companies, with the industry reaching a scale of about 10 billion yuan (US$1.4 billion), according to official data.