Scaling Discovery: FibroBiologics Unveils New Houston Lab to Accelerate Cell-Based Therapeutics

Hamid Khoja, PhD, chief scientific officer of FibroBiologics

As the field of regenerative medicine continues to advance, FibroBiologics is positioning itself at the forefront with the unveiling of its newly expanded laboratory facility in Houston, TX. This milestone marks a pivotal step in the company’s mission to develop breakthrough fibroblast-based therapeutics for chronic diseases. The 10,000-sf space significantly boosts FibroBiologics' research capabilities, offering new opportunities for innovation, in-house manufacturing, and strategic team growth. With more than 240 patents issued and pending, the clinical-stage biotech company is doubling down on its commitment to translating scientific discoveries into life-changing treatments.

To learn more about the vision behind this expansion and how the facility is designed to support cutting-edge R&D, Lab Design News spoke with Hamid Khoja, PhD, chief scientific officer of FibroBiologics, who shared insights into the design strategy, operational goals, and the critical role this facility will play in accelerating the development of therapeutic candidates. The discussion covered how this new lab space will enable FibroBiologics to scale operations, enhance collaboration, and bring greater control over manufacturing as FibroBiologics pushes the boundaries of what’s possible in cell-based therapies.

Q: How did you gather input from your research and operations teams to shape the design of the new laboratory? 

A: Our focus is always on rendering our R&D efforts as efficient as possible. The input from our R&D and manufacturing teams was that we should bring in-house quite as much of our work as possible, and we incorporated those suggestions in determining the footprint of our potential site.

Q: What strategies did you use to ensure that the final space reflects their needs and workflows?

A: Simple focus on efficiency, speed, and accuracy of our work.

Q: Were there any unexpected insights or requests from end users that significantly influenced the design or functionality of the space? 

A: It was a team effort, so no unexpected requests.

Q: What are some of the most innovative or unique design features of the new laboratory facility? How do they support your research in fibroblast-based therapeutics specifically?

A: Hurricanes do occasionally impact Houston area, so we had to consider building of a temporary live-in suite to make sure our on-going experiments are minimally impacted in the three to four days post-hurricane.

Q: How did the design balance the need for advanced R&D space with office and collaboration areas within the 10,000-sf footprint? Did the integration of GMP manufacturing influence this balance?

A: Our R&D and manufacturing teams are very well integrated since most of what we do has never been done before. We do have space available for potential cGMP manufacturing suites for the manufacturing of our product candidates for our future clinical trials.

Q: How will the expanded lab size impact day-to-day workflow and research operations compared to the previous facility? Are there specific bottlenecks you anticipate eliminating with this new space?

A: Bringing in work that we previously outsourced will make our R&D efforts more efficient.

Q: As you scale up staffing with new researchers, how is the lab design supporting collaboration, onboarding, and cross-functional teamwork? Was adaptability for future team growth built into the layout?

A: Since our R&D and manufacturing teams are very well integrated, collaboration is always key, and has worked seamlessly so far. We intend on keeping the same process as we scale up staffing. The current space is sufficient for the next several years until we build our own building to house all the components of our administration, R&D, and manufacturing [departments].

Q: Can you walk us through the process of transitioning staff and equipment from the old lab to the new facility? What challenges did you anticipate and how did you mitigate them?

A: Our R&D and manufacturing teams, along with the help from our administration team, began planning the move a couple of months prior to our planned move date. Experiments were concluded in a timely manner, allowing the shutdown of the lab and decontamination of our equipment. The move took only three days to complete, with everyone in the team pitching in with the packing and unpacking. Within a week of moving, our new lab was fully functional.

Q: Were there any critical timelines or research projects that required special consideration during the move? How did you ensure continuity of work?

A: As with any experiment, maintaining the timeline of conducting the experiments and data analysis is essential. Since we prepared ahead of time, all experiments in the previous lab space were completed ahead of the move. We only had a two-week shutdown of our lab during the entire moving process.

Q: With the potential to bring GMP manufacturing in-house, how did that possibility shape the infrastructure and utilities planning during the design phase? What future-proofing measures were included in the build?

A: Since our new lab space was formerly used by a cell therapy company, most of the utilities and design aspects were quite similar to what we had planned, so the transition was not as complex.  As mentioned previously, this space should be sufficient for our expected growth for the next three to four years.  

Q: Looking ahead, how does this facility support your broader vision for accelerating discovery and delivering new fibroblast-based therapies to market?

A: Bringing in in-house capabilities, which typically are outsourced to third parties, will provide significant time and resource savings and thereby enable a more efficient discovery and development phase, in addition to significant savings in future manufacturing efforts.