10 CDMO Up & Comers 2026

Below are 10 contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMOs) listed by GEN as Up & Comers for making headlines with facility openings, major contracts, and other significant actions, though not yet large enough to crack the A-List Top 10 CDMOs.

Among last year’s Up & Comers that are not listed this year is Charles River Laboratories. In May, Charles River completed the divestitures of its CDMO and Cell Solutions businesses to GI Partners, a private equity, real estate and data infrastructure investment firm, primarily for undisclosed contingent performance-based payments—part of a series of moves intended “to refine and further strengthen its portfolio.”

The CDMO business provided services related to the production of advanced therapies for gene-modified cell therapies, as well as gene therapies including viral vectors and plasmid DNA, while Cell Solutions provided human-derived cellular materials used for developing and producing cell therapies.

The CDMO and cell solutions businesses generated combined annual revenue of $143 million in 2025, including $117 million in the Manufacturing Solutions segment and $26 million in the Research Models and Services (RMS) segment. CRL also sold specified European assets within its Discovery Services business to IQVIA Holdings for approximately $145 million.

1. Artis BioSolutions

• Rebranded in July by combining Landmark Bio, a Watertown, MA-based development and GMP manufacturing operation, and Syngoi, a Bilbao, Spain-based enzymatic synthetic DNA business. The change unites Artis’ U.S. and European capabilities, completing a transatlantic platform linking proprietary synthetic DNA production directly to advanced therapy development and clinical-grade manufacturing.
• Emerged from stealth in April, when it disclosed its acquisition of Landmark Bio. Earlier this year, Artis acquired Syngoi, then used Syngoi’s enzymatic platform to establish new synthetic DNA manufacturing capabilities in Boston. The price of both acquisitions was undisclosed.

2. AsymBio

• Secured RMB 1.2397 billion (approximately $184 million) from Asymchem Group, Hillhouse Qirui, and other investors. The cash infusion will raise Asymchem Group’s stake in AsymBio to 83.4965%. Asymchem Group will invest RMB 1.05 billion (approximately $156 million), and Hillhouse Qirui will invest RMB 177 million (approximately $26 million).
• Generated more than RMB 140 million (approximately $21 million) in first-quarter revenue, and RMB 470 million (approximately $70 million) in revenue in 2025.

3. Bora Group

• Completed its up-to-$127.5 million acquisition of the GMP manufacturing operations, including the CDMO business, of MacroGenics—a $122.5 million deal price plus up to $5 million based on future customer orders. The transaction includes a biologics drug substance manufacturing facility located in Rockville, MD, and an associated warehousing center in Frederick, MD.
• Signed a $250 million five-year contract with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to renew a manufacturing partnership stretching back to when Bora purchased GSK’s Mississauga, ON, Canada, facility in 2020. The renewal will expand the companies’ partnership by allowing GSK to access multiple sites within Bora’s network, including its newest oral solid dose site in Maple Grove, MN. GSK is the largest pharmaceutical partner operating at Bora’s Mississauga facility, where Bora provides end-to-end manufacturing services for 20+ commercial product lines and 335+ individual products.

4. Curia Global

• Reached agreement on key terms of a recapitalization transaction that is expected to reinforce the company’s financial foundation and position it for long-term success. The transaction is led by funds managed by affiliates of Apollo and has the support of all of Curia’s key financial stakeholders. The deal is expected to close later this year.
• Completed a $4 million upgrade to its two aseptic suites in Valladolid, Spain. The central feature of the upgrade was the transition to a fully closed system, designed to strengthen process and product integrity while minimizing microbiological risk across all stages of production. Enhancements also focused on modernizing core equipment and systems, including installing advanced isolators, as well as upgrades to HVAC, pharmaceutical utilities, automation and sterilization-in-place processes.

5. Gland Pharma

• Executed an agreement with “one of the leading global pharmaceutical companies” for the technology transfer, manufacturing, and supply of a portfolio of sterile injectable products for global markets. The portfolio consists of oncology and non-oncology products in vials, lyophilized products, ampoules, and pre-filled syringes. The agreement covers 55 stock-keeping units (SKUs) to be manufactured across three sites, with anticipation of adding more products. Once all products are commercialized, the annualized revenue potential is expected to be approximately $90 million–$100 million.
• Launched a long-term strategic partnership with Neuland Laboratories for the manufacture of complex sterile active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). Gland plans to establish a dedicated sterile API manufacturing suite at its JNPC facility in Visakhapatnam, India, to support Neuland’s sterile API requirements for global drugmakers. The suite is expected to add roughly 1,400 kg (3,086 pounds) of annual production capacity and provide the flexibility to manufacture multiple sterile products.

6. Neuland Laboratories

• Completing a $20 million dedicated process development laboratory and integrated kilo lab at its Genome Valley campus in Hyderabad, India. The 135,000-square-foot facility will be made operational in phases, with full completion expected by October.
• Finished the fiscal year ending March 31 with record full-year revenues exceeding ₹2,000 crore (approximately $215 million), and EBITDA of ₹603.4 crore (about $63.4 million), up 448.6% from FY 2025. Growth was driven by commercial-stage new chemical entity (NCE) programs, particularly from North American customers, reflecting what the company said was increasing demand for reliable development and manufacturing partners for complex molecules.

7. ProBio

• Successfully delivered adeno-associated virus (AAV) scale-up materials to enable in vivo IND-enabling studies as a strategic partner to the University of California (UC) Irvine School of Medicine and GlyTR Therapeutics, developers of a next-generation AAV-mediated chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell platform, GlyTR, engineered to target tumor associated carbohydrate antigens that are highly expressed across a broad range of cancers.
• Partnered with Curocell to achieve a key CAR T milestone with Biologics License Application (BLA) approval and commercial readiness for anbalcabtagene autoleucel (anbal-cel, also known as CRC01), a next-generation CD19-targeted CAR T-cell therapy developed for patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).
• Expanded viral vector development capabilities at its Hopewell, NJ, site with its Viral Vector Packaging Test, a new early-stage development platform designed to accelerate decision making and derisk progression from discovery to chemistry, manufacturing, and controls (CMC) in cell and gene therapy programs. The test is designed to provide feasibility level data to support vector design, manufacturability, and scalability decisions at a critical inflection point in development.

8. Quotient Sciences

• Successful initiated a Phase I clinical study evaluating a novel drug product developed using artificial intelligence (AI). The study will assess the safety and pharmacokinetics of an undisclosed oral solid dose formulation in healthy volunteers, leveraging Intrepid Labs’ ANDROMEDA advanced machine learning algorithm to support formulation design and optimization. Quotient said the landmark achievement highlights the growing potential of AI to guide formulation design and accelerate drug development.
• Extended a commercial supply partnership with Ipsen to manufacture Sohonos® (palovarotene), a retinoid indicated for fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP), an ultra-rare disease affecting <1,000 people worldwide. Quotient said the collaboration reinforced its commitment as a contract research, development and manufacturing organization (CRDMO) to supporting the manufacture of niche and smaller volume commercial products often overlooked by larger CDMOs.

9. Resilience

• Expanded a three-year-old strategic partnership with Eli Lilly by partnering on a $750 million expansion of its manufacturing operations in the Cincinnati region by adding to its production of Lilly’s KwikPen®device for injecting diabetes and obesity treatments. The addition will create at least 400 new jobs, bringing Resilience’s Ohio workforce to more than 1,400. Full operations are expected to start in early 2027.
• Announced plans to relocate its corporate headquarters from San Diego to Blue Ash, OH. Resilience anticipates adding approximately 200 new jobs in Blue Ash, where it also envisions basing a drug product packaging and supply operation spanning more than 450,000square feet. The move will expand an Ohio presence that includes a drug product manufacturing facility in nearby West Chester, OH.

10. uBriGene

• Launched its uVivo Lentiviral Vector (LVV) Platform, a targeted in vivo CAR T platform designed to enable precise delivery of CAR payloads to T cells, allowing rapid generation of CAR T cells in vivo. uBriGene says the platform can produce thousands of doses from a single 10 L batch.
• Initiated a strategic partnership with Cellinfinity BIO, a biotechnology company developing in vivo CAR T therapies targeting hematologic and solid tumors. The partnership is designed to accelerate the clinical advancement of Cellinfinity BIO’s therapeutic programs: CIB-301 for solid tumors and CIB-350 for hematologic malignancies and autoimmune diseases.

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