Bio-XCell is one of the most promising projects of Malaysia, which is planned to push the growth of the bioscience industry. It is situated in the city of Nusajaya, and is a part of the lush green landscape of the development corridor of Iskandar Malaysia. Nusajaya, which is located in the resource-rich state of Johor, Malaysia, is a 50 minutes drive away from the concrete jungle of the central business district of life science hub Singapore.

The Bio-XCell park was incorporated in 2009 and is a joint venture between the Malaysian Biotechnology Corporation, better known as the BiotechCorp, and UEM Land Holdings, a real estate investment and business development company.

At the helm of the affairs is Mr Rizatuddin Ramli, CEO, Bio-XCell, who took charge of the project in 2011. According to him, Bio-XCell will serve as the biotechnology accelerator for the Malaysian biotechnology industry. "We fast track growth for the industry with focus on high value biomanufacturing and bioprocessing infrastructure," he says, adding that it will partner with global MNCs to facilitate their expansion in Malaysia.

"We not only develop and manage infrastructure and space but also provide value-added services, which include shared utilities, such as ICT network, security, park management and R&D facilities. We also manage the process equipment, either through direct purchase or lease arrangements. Our breadth and depth of services will facilitate foreign and local companies," he says, elaborating on the function of BioXcell. Mr Ramli in an interview with BioSpectrum spoke about how Bio-XCell is looking to focus on partnerships for resource optimization.

The speed at which constructions are taking place at the site is proof of the global attention that Bio-XCell has received since its inception. India's billion dollar biotechnology company, Biocon, is setting up a biomanufacturing and R&D facility at the custom-built park. The insulin production facility should be operational by 2014 and its investment is worth $158 million (RM500 million).