It was an exciting time in mid-February when Foster City, Calif.,-based Cell Genesys Inc., revealed it had leased a 35,000 square foot facility in Memphis. Cell Genesys was especially partial to the Tennessee city since it is one of the world's major shipping hubs. The company was eager to take advantage of the region's efficient transport and distribution opportunities.

Cell Genesys plans to manufacture its patient-specific GVAX lung cancer vaccines for both Phase III clinical trials and potential market launch.

Part of the company's product development strategy called for establishing a centrally located GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) facility to receive and process frozen tumor cells obtained from patient biopsies, manufacture the patient-specific vaccine products and ship the frozen vaccine products back to the patient treatment centers after undergoing quality control testing.

The Memphis facility complemented Cell Genesys' two other manufacturing facilities: a 41,000 square foot facility currently under construction in Hayward, Calif., and a 48,000 square foot facility in San Diego, Calif.

"Our new Memphis facility is the remaining component of the manufacturing infrastructure we need to implement our plans for multiple Phase III trials and future potential product launches," said Joseph J. Vallner, president and COO for Cell Genesys. "The Memphis site will enable the rapid production and shipping of patient-specific vaccines, such as GVAX lung cancer vaccine, and will complement the centralized production of non patient-specific, 'off-the-shelf' products such as GVAX prostate and pancreatic cancer vaccines, which will be carried out in our Hayward facility.

"Memphis is an ideal site for this type of manufacturing operation given its well established infrastructure for overnight air shipment, as well as an attractive real estate market and a world renowned biomedical community."

With two auto assembly plants and over 800 automotive suppliers as state residents, Tennessee is commonly dubbed the center of the Southern Automotive Corridor.

In April of 2001, Toyo Seat USA Corp., a Tier II automotive manufacturer of seat frames and seat mechanisms, announced plans to set up shop in Pelham, Tenn. Project plans called for initially hiring 100 people at the 50,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Grundy County's Pelham Industrial Park.

And in Oak Ridge, a chip design firm doubled its size. ASIC International merged with Flextronics and then moved into a 30,000 square foot building. ASIC previously occupied 14,000 square feet in Oak Ridge.