Interview with Bartlomiej Czubek, Director of Business Development at Mabion

Mabion is a CDMO company specializing in the advanced manufacturing and development of biological products, with extensive experience in monoclonal antibodies. Founded in 2007 and headquartered in the EU, in Poland.

Mabion originated from the merger of four European pharmaceutical companies. How did the unique characteristics of each company shape what Mabion is today, with its two state-of-the-art facilities?

Bartlomiej Czubek, Director of Business Development at Mabion:
The vision of Mabion’s founders was to create the first comprehensive player in the biopharmaceutical market. Each of the founding companies brought unique strengths from scientific expertise and industry networks to organizational excellence and transparency traits that still define us today. We began in a small laboratory in central Poland, building a complete technology portfolio to register a biosimilar drug independently. From the outset, we combined science with advanced technology, participating in innovative projects and staying laser-focused on our goals. As we grew, we moved into the Research and Development Center in Lodz, achieving GMP and GLP certification in 2012. The next milestone was the opening of our Scientific and Industrial Complex of Medical Biotechnology in 2015, which obtained GMP certification in 2016, now the heart of our operations. Our transformation into a dedicated biologics CDMO accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic through our cooperation with Novavax, proving that the market needs an end-to-end partner capable of delivering product development and GMP manufacturing under one roof. Today, we remain committed to the success of every project we undertake with our partners building relationships that last, because our clients choose to return to us for their next challenges.

Mabion specializes in the production of sterile biotechnological products. Could you outline the main areas of focus?

BC: Mabion is a full-service biologics CDMO with EU GMP-certified manufacturing in Konstantynow Lódzki and advanced R&D capabilities. We focus on sterile biotechnological products produced in mammalian and insect cell culture systems, offering end-to-end solutions, from cell line development through drug substance manufacturing to aseptic fill-finish of the final drug product. Our core expertise lies in monoclonal antibodies, bispecific antibodies, and antibody-drug conjugates, as well as other recombinant proteins and vaccine antigens, supported by proven platform processes. A major strength of Mabion is our comprehensive analytical offering covering the entire lifecycle of a biologic: from method development and validation, through in-process control, stability studies, comparability assessments, to final product release testing. This breadth allows us to manage all critical quality aspects under one roof, ensuring compliance and shortening timelines.

We primarily serve small and mid-sized biotech companies in Europe and North America, providing technical expertise, regulatory know-how, and manufacturing capacity they often lack in-house. Larger pharma companies also engage us for selected projects requiring specialized capabilities or additional GMP capacity. What sets us apart is our problem-solver mindset, project focus, strong organization, and transparency qualities that make clients return and expand their collaborations with us.

The growing demand for advanced biological medicines is placing increasing demands on research and production processes. How does Mabion meet the evolving requirements of the market? Does your logistics and supply unit play a key role in this regard?

BC: At Mabion, we closely follow market trends and adapt them into our operations from introducing carefully selected state-of-the-art equipment, to developing a platform-based approach for process development and scale-up, to forging strategic partnerships. This ensures our offering evolves in line with market needs. Recent agreements we have signed speak for themselves: covering projects based on monoclonal antibodies, multispecific antibodies, and protein–small molecule conjugates such as ADCs. Logistics and supply chain are equally critical to our success. We have outstanding relationships with leading suppliers, which guarantee continuity of our processes, something that is absolutely vital in today’s environment. These strong connections allow us to secure and deliver materials dedicated to our clients’ projects quickly and reliably, ensuring that development and manufacturing timelines are met without disruption.

One of Mabion’s defining features is its integrated approach, offering an end-to-end optimized process. What does this process involve? Does it include the development of cell lines?

BC: For us, an integrated end-to-end process truly means we can start from the gene or sequence level, develop the cell line, design and optimize the upstream and downstream ( processes, establish the full analytical package, and scale the process to GMP standards for both clinical and commercial manufacturing at the drug substance and drug product stages all the way to the final vial. It’s exactly what we call our “gene to vial” offering. Our capabilities cover mammalian and insect cell culture systems, enabling us to work with biosimilars, innovative monoclonals, vaccine antigens, multispecific antibodies, ADCs, and other recombinant proteins. This includes not only production, but also method development, in-process control, stability testing, comparability studies, and full release testing under GMP. When needed, we also collaborate with top-tier external specialists who complement our in-house expertise ensuring that every project benefits from the best available know-how and technology. This combination of broad capabilities, experienced staff, and a flexible, client-focused approach makes Mabion a trusted long-term partner for biologics development, whether for pre-clinical, clinical, or commercial programs.

What are the main projects and strategic priorities outlined in your 2025–2030 roadmap?

BC: Between 2025 and 2030, our priority is to identify and nurture long-term partnerships because we believe our clients’ success will go hand in hand with Mabion’s success. We aim to remain the partner of choice for biotech innovators in Europe, the U.S., and beyond by delivering high-quality, integrated CDMO services and consistently exceeding expectations. We will continue to expand our capabilities, including the construction of a new manufacturing facility directly connected to our existing site. This expansion will significantly increase our capacity and operate to the highest FDA and EMA standards. Just as importantly, we will keep listening to our clients and to the market, ensuring our services evolve in line with emerging needs, whether that’s new modalities, larger-scale manufacturing, or faster, more flexible project delivery. Strategic collaborations, such as our partnership with Sartorius, will remain a key driver, helping us broaden our offering and boost project throughput while maintaining our hallmark quality and reliability.

Thank you very much