Chiral Quest Slates Chinese Pilot Plant

Chiral Quest will build a current Good Manufacturing Practice-compliant pilot plant and process R&D center in BioBay, part of China's Suzhou Industrial Park. To be completed in May 2009, the center will eventually house some 400 R&D and operations employees. It will be built and financed in part by BioBay. Additionally, Chiral Quest has won $13 million in financing from several China-based venture capital firms, including KPCB China and China Spring Fund. Chiral Quest CEO Joseph Marasco says the plant and financing will help his firm move beyond catalyst development and into production of chiral intermediates and pharmaceutical chemicals.