From Tight Quarters to Growth-Ready: How One Biotech Upgraded Its Lab Space
Orano Med marked the $5 million expansion of its Plano, Texas R&D center—now renamed the Drug Development and Preclinical Unit (DDPU)—with 11,000 square feet of new lab and office space to support its growing pipeline of targeted alpha therapies. Image: Courtesy of Orano Med
Orano Med, a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering targeted alpha therapies (TAT), has completed a major expansion of its US Research and Development Center in Plano, Texas. The company, a subsidiary of the Orano Group, marked the occasion with a facility inauguration and unveiling of a new name: the Drug Development and Preclinical Unit (DDPU)—George de Hevesy Center.
The $5 million expansion adds 11,000 square feet to the facility—about a 50 percent increase in total space—including 5,000 square feet of new laboratory space and 5,500 square feet of office space. The enhancements support Orano Med’s growing pipeline of radiopharmaceutical drug candidates based on lead-212 (^212Pb), a powerful alpha-emitting radioisotope used to target and destroy cancer cells with high precision.
The project was executed through HDR Inc., which carried out the detailed design—civil, structural, mechanical, HVAC, electrical, and plumbing—in coordination with Orano Med. The general contractor managing the construction work was Z Construction, supported by several subcontractors.
The $5 million expansion adds 11,000 square feet—including 5,000 square feet of lab space and 5,500 square feet of offices—to support Orano Med’s growing pipeline of precision cancer therapies. Image: Courtesy of Orano Med.
Julien Torgue, chief scientific officer of Orano Med, explains to Lab Design News that expanding the existing Plano site was a strategic decision. “Rather than establishing a new site, we chose to build on the strengths of our existing Plano facility. The location still had room for physical expansion, and upgrading the current site allowed us to move faster, control costs, and ensure continuity across our R&D activities.”
The Plano location has played a central role in Orano Med’s operations since its inception. “Orano Med has facilities in both France and the United States, including R&D and ^212Pb and drug production sites. Our facility located in Plano has been a key part of our operations for several years, focused on the research and development of new therapeutic candidates and GMP production for clinical trials in the US,” Torgue says.
The facility also houses Macrocyclics, a Texas-based manufacturer of customized chelating agents acquired by Orano Med in 2011. “This strategic acquisition naturally established our footprint in Plano, Texas, where both Orano Med and Macrocyclics teams were brought together under one roof to foster collaboration and synergy,” Torgue says.
To support its growing team and pipeline, Orano Med’s expansion was guided by user input, doubling GMP lab capacity and optimizing layout for efficient production of Lead-212–based radiopharmaceuticals. Image: Courtesy of Orano Med
To meet the demands of its expanding pipeline and growing staff—headcount has doubled in Plano over the past four years—Orano Med prioritized a design shaped by input from the people who would use the space every day. “Our teams are the primary users of these spaces, so it was essential to involve them from the early stages of the expansion project,” Torgue says. “Their feedback directly influenced decisions on layout, workflow design, and equipment selection, with a focus on both efficiency and safety.”
One of the major upgrades was in the facility’s Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) labs. “The extension work and new equipment enabled us to double the GMP laboratory’s capacity and significantly improve its layout to optimize operational efficiency. This enhancement now allows us to produce daily doses of two different drug candidates, supplying early clinical trials with Lead-212–based radiopharmaceuticals,” Torgue says. “Moreover, the redesign has reduced maintenance downtime for the hot cells, improving overall project flow.”
Hotcells and lab equipment were ordered directly by Orano Med, and the hotcells were installed by Comecer. The coordination of all activities related to the hotcells—including special foundations, electrical needs, plumbing, ventilation, and coordination with the GC and architect—was handled by the Orano Med teams.
The project involved carefully removing heavy concrete walls near expensive equipment to install hotcells, while expanding R&D and QC labs and adding new office space to support team growth and collaboration. Image: Courtesy of Orano Med
The project required the removal of a large section of an existing exterior structural wall to accommodate the hotcells. This was a particularly delicate operation for Orano Med teams, as 800 kg concrete sections of wall were removed in close proximity to existing million-dollar equipment. That work was carried out by Mercury Concrete, who also handled all the concrete foundation work on the project.
R&D and quality control (QC) labs also received significant expansions, while new office space now better supports collaboration among research, production, and support teams. “Additional office space was added as well to accommodate team growth and foster closer collaboration across R&D, GMP, QC and support functions,” says Torgue.
The teams’ input was also critical to practical improvements, including how cleanrooms were configured. “Based on their input, we reconfigured the layout of the hot cells in the cleanrooms to allow rear access—enabling maintenance to be carried out without halting production,” Torgue explains. “We also designed the cleanrooms to support the daily production of two different drugs, drawing on lessons learned from our GMP operations on site since 2018.”
Looking ahead, Orano Med hopes the expansion will allow room to grow for years to come. Torgue offers a piece of advice for other biotech companies planning similar projects: “One key lesson is to keep in mind that every expansion essentially begins the day before you officially open the previous one. Construction and setup timelines are long, so by the time your new space is ready, you’re often already facing new growth needs. This time, we planned more generously to accommodate future growth, so I'm hoping that we're not outgrowing this one for a couple of years.”
