Leaders from Agilent Technologies Inc. joined Colorado Governor Jared Polis and local government officials to break ground on Agilent’s $725 million investment to double manufacturing capacity of therapeutic nucleic acids in Frederick, Colorado in the US.

The investment will create more than 160 life science jobs in the Frederick area; contribute to the state’s rapidly growing biotechnology ecosystem; and increase US manufacturing for active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) that are essential to treating a growing number of diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, and rare and infectious diseases.

Agilent’s manufacturing facilities in Colorado produce siRNA, antisense molecules, and CRISPR guide RNA molecules. The company’s therapeutic nucleic acid contract development and manufacturing organisation services offer superior customer service, the highest quality oligo API material, and cGMP (Current Good Manufacturing Practices) to produce high-volume oligos efficiently and cost effectively from early-stage clinical development to commercialisation.

During the groundbreaking ceremony, President of Agilent’s Diagnostics and Genomics Group Sam Raha announced a $25,000 donation to P-TECH, a programme at Frederick High School that enables students from underrepresented communities to graduate with associate degrees in the life sciences.