Center for Breakthrough Medicines

What Center for Breakthrough Medicines does

Center for Breakthrough Medicines (CBM) is a cell and gene therapy contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) headquartered in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, now operating as the US cell and gene therapy arm of SK Pharmteco following SK Inc.'s initial $350 million corporate investment in January 2022 and SK Pharmteco's full takeover by 2026. The company provides end-to-end CDMO services to pharmaceutical and biotech drug developers, spanning process development, CGMP manufacturing, analytical testing, plasmid engineering, aseptic fill-finish, and regulatory support from preclinical stages through commercialization. Its manufacturing footprint includes a King of Prussia, PA facility commissioned in 2022 with three independent production suites, two aseptic fill-finish lines, and bioreactor capacity up to 500 L scalable to 1,000 L via multiplexing, complemented by a large-scale facility south of Paris brought online in 2024 with six production suites, dedicated fill-finish, and bioreactor capacity up to 2,000 L.

The company's core technology centers on viral vector manufacturing across three modalities — adeno-associated virus (AAV), lentivirus (LVV), and adenovirus (AdV) — unified under its proprietary SKyvec™ Viral Vector Platform, which is designed to harmonize process development, manufacturing, and scale-up across vector types. Regulatory expertise spanning FDA and EMA interactions is integrated into the service offering, addressing the manufacturing bottlenecks, variable yields, lengthy optimization cycles, and scalability constraints that limit patient access to gene therapies.

CBM operates as a professional services CDMO, generating revenue through direct, enterprise-scale contract manufacturing engagements with biotech and pharmaceutical sponsors. It goes to market via direct enterprise sales targeting drug developers globally across North America and Europe, with marketing activities concentrated in industry conferences (e.g., Cell & Gene Therapy Summit 2026, Advanced Therapies Xchange San Francisco 2026, Meeting on the Mesa), digital and content marketing through technical white papers, case studies, and webinars, and brand presence via LinkedIn and YouTube. As of the latest data, CBM has 101-250 employees against a stated plan to hire 2,000 people over four years to support the stated objective of building the world's largest cell and gene therapy manufacturing facility by 2025.

Name

Center for Breakthrough Medicines

Legal name

SK pharmteco Inc.

Website

https://breakthroughmedicines.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Center for Breakthrough Medicines is a cell and gene therapy CDMO providing process development, CGMP manufacturing, and regulatory support for AAV, lentiviral, and adenoviral vectors to pharmaceutical and biotech drug developers across US and European facilities, now operating as SK pharmteco Cell & Gene US.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biopharmaceutical CDMO Services

NAICS

Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836)

akta.pro primary industry

Gene Therapy (Viral Vector/Plasmid) CDMO (HLAGABAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Gene Therapy Vector Manufacturing & CDMO Services (HLAAACAJ), Drug Substance–Drug Product Integrated CDMO (HLAGABAG), Clinical Trial Material (CTM) Manufacturing & Supply CDMO (HLAGABAK), Cell Therapy CDMO (HLAGABAD)

Keywords

• Cell therapy CDMO
• Gene therapy manufacturing
• Viral vector production
• Plasmid manufacturing
• Biologics contract development

Headquarters

HQ city

King Of Prussia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Contract Manufacturing Services: CDMO services for gene and cell therapy manufacturing, providing process development, CGMP manufacturing, analytical testing, and regulatory support to pharmaceutical and biotech clients

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Center for Breakthrough Medicines is a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) providing end-to-end services for gene and cell therapy developers. Its core offerings include CGMP viral vector manufacturing (AAV, lentiviral, and adenoviral), process development, plasmid engineering, analytical testing, aseptic fill-finish, and regulatory support, delivered through its proprietary SKyvec™ platform. Services span clinical to commercial scale with bioreactor capacity up to 2,000 L across U.S. and French facilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Viral Vector Contract Manufacturing CGMP contract manufacturing of viral vectors—AAV, lentiviral, and adenoviral—for gene therapy developers, scaled from clinical to commercial using single-use bioreactors up to 2,000 L via the SKyvec™ platform. Service is targeted at gene therapy sponsors and biopharmaceutical companies requiring outsourced viral vector supply for clinical trials and commercial launch.
• Process Development Services Standalone upstream and downstream process development services for gene and cell therapy products, supporting client programs from early development through technology transfer and scale-up. Offered to biopharmaceutical sponsors that require specialized viral vector, plasmid, or cell therapy process development expertise prior to or alongside CGMP manufacturing.
• Plasmid Engineering and Manufacturing Contract plasmid engineering and CGMP manufacturing services, producing plasmid DNA used as raw material for viral vector production and as standalone plasmid products. Service is provided to gene therapy developers, vaccine developers, and biopharmaceutical clients requiring plasmid supply.
• Analytical Testing Services CGMP analytical testing, characterization, and release services for gene and cell therapy products, supporting in-process and final product testing requirements. Offered to biopharmaceutical sponsors requiring qualified analytical methods for viral vector, plasmid, and cell therapy products.
• Aseptic Fill-Finish Services Aseptic fill-finish services for gene and cell therapy drug substance and drug product, providing final dosage form preparation for advanced therapy products. Service is provided to biopharmaceutical sponsors requiring fill-finish capacity for clinical or commercial gene/cell therapy supply.
• Regulatory Support Services CMC and regulatory affairs support services for gene and cell therapy clients, including documentation, regulatory submission support, and compliance guidance associated with CGMP manufacturing of advanced therapy products. Service is provided to biopharmaceutical sponsors preparing regulatory filings for gene/cell therapy programs.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• BioCurieminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 March 2026CBM (as SK pharmteco Cell & Gene US) is part of a consortium including BioCurie, Caring Cross, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and University City Science Center working on an ARPA-H funded project to develop an AI platform for scalable gene therapy manufacturing.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Catalent: Catalent is a large global CDMO with substantial cell and gene therapy (viral vector) and biologics capabilities serving similar pharmaceutical and biotech clients. Comparable as a multi-modality CDMO peer with overlapping viral vector manufacturing services, though Catalent operates at significantly larger scale across many modalities.
• Lonza: Lonza is one of the world's largest CDMOs with established cell and gene therapy services, including viral vector manufacturing. Directly comparable as a global CDMO serving gene therapy developers, but Lonza offers a far broader portfolio spanning biologics, small molecules, and cell therapy.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific (Viral Vector Services / Brammer Bio): Thermo Fisher's viral vector services business (incorporating Brammer Bio) provides viral vector and gene therapy CDMO services globally. Comparable as a major CDMO offering viral vector manufacturing at scale, but as part of Thermo Fisher's broader life sciences tools and pharma services portfolio.

Direct peers

• AGC Biologics: AGC Biologics operates a dedicated Cell and Gene Therapy CDMO business with viral vector and cell therapy manufacturing capabilities across multiple sites. Directly comparable as a gene therapy-focused CDMO offering process development, GMP manufacturing, and analytical services to pharma and biotech clients.
• Forge Biologics: Forge Biologics is a gene therapy CDMO specializing in AAV viral vector manufacturing and process development, operating a large-scale cGMP production facility. Highly comparable as a focused viral vector CDMO targeting the same client base of gene therapy developers requiring scalable AAV manufacturing.
• Yposkesi: Yposkesi is a European cell and gene therapy CDMO providing viral vector (AAV, lentiviral) and cell therapy manufacturing services from its French facility. Directly comparable as a viral vector-focused CDMO with European operations, overlapping with CBM's France site and similar target customers.
• Aldevron: Aldevron (acquired by Danaher) manufactures plasmid DNA, mRNA, and viral vector components serving gene therapy developers. Comparable as a CDMO in the viral vector and genetic medicine supply chain, though Aldevron is more focused on plasmid and nucleic acid inputs while CBM focuses on full viral vector production.
• Cobra Biologics (Charles River Laboratories): Cobra Biologics, now part of Charles River Laboratories, provides viral vector and plasmid DNA manufacturing CDMO services for gene therapy and vaccine developers. Directly comparable as a viral vector-focused CDMO serving similar biotech and pharma clients with overlapping AAV and lentiviral manufacturing capabilities.
• Oxford BioMedica: Oxford BioMedica is a clinical and commercial-stage CDMO specializing in lentiviral vector manufacturing for cell and gene therapies. Directly comparable as a viral vector CDMO with proprietary LentiVector platform, serving similar gene therapy developer clients with process development and GMP manufacturing services.

Emerging players

• Vigene Biosciences (AavantiBio): Vigene Biosciences (merged with AavantiBio) provides AAV and lentiviral viral vector manufacturing services for gene therapy developers. Comparable as a smaller viral vector CDMO with overlapping AAV manufacturing capabilities, though at a smaller scale than CBM's planned facility footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@SK_pharmteco
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/skpharmteco
• Xx.com/CBM_CDMO

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Center for Breakthrough Medicines