United Therapeutics
Location: Christiansburg, Virginia, USA
Project: Clinical Xenotransplantation DPF Facility
Every 10 minutes, one new person joins the organ recipient waiting list, according to the Organ Procurement and Transplant Network (OPTN). Traditionally, FOYA winning facilities are focused on the manufacturing of clinical or commercial products and research lab facilities enabling discovery of medicine—nevertheless the FOYA judging committee is making an exception this year. This decision was made based on United Therapeutics’ very specific focus on unmet medical needs with a significant social impact and since it is the first-of-its-kind facility to be submitted as clinical-scale designated pathogen free (DPF) operations to produce tolerable, transplantable organs for patients with end-stage organ disease. For these reasons, the judging committee has recognized United Therapeutics’ submission for their new Clinical Xenotransplantation DPF Facility, located in Christiansburg, VA with a FOYA Honorable Mention.
The 62,000-square-foot facility includes a DPF barrier area for surgical suites, laboratories, offices and building support spaces, and more. The building integrates elements from a farm operation, biologic pharmaceutical manufacturing plant, and surgical facility. All operations in the building are supported by a state-of-the-art building automation system and critical system triple redundancy.
United Therapeutics’ DPF facility adopts stringent security and biosecurity measures. Being an operation which could not afford any shutdown anytime, in combination with the critical environmental requirements, led to solutions that provide redundancy and guarantee of continuous operation. The project adopted creative, cutting-edge construction methods, including:
- Drone Deploy™, a software program integrated with a compact drone for construction progress documentation, elevated deck opening verification, and topography scanning
- Navisworks, a 3D model and review software utilized by DPR Construction to covert Ewing Cole’s design models into coordinated trade models to support daily proper construction sequencing and clash prevention
- Laser scanning utilized for as-built documentation
- StructionSite, a software for photo documentation
- Dusty Construction Robot™ utilized to lay out all interior walls, door openings, door swings, room finish schedules, MEP hangers
- BlueRithm™ (BR), a commissioning software, which accelerated commissioning activities
The United Therapeutics’ DPF facility addresses a critical gap in healthcare , particularly for patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). This is the first of its kind facility, scaling up from a research and development operation to a state of-the-art clinical trial-ready, and sets the stage for a new era in medical treatments, creating a pipeline for groundbreaking therapies that could change the landscape of organ transplantation worldwide.
For these reasons, United Therapeutics has been recognized with an Honorable Mention from the 2025 ISPE FOYA program.
Supply Partners and Key Participants:
Manufacturer/Owner Name: United Therapeutics Corporation
Engineer/Architect (A/E):
- Ewing Cole
- Hurt & Proffitt
Commissioning Qualifications & Validation Services: Cornerstone Commissioning, Inc.
Main/General Contractor: DPR Construction
Piping Subcontractor: Atlantic Constructors, Inc.
HVAC Subcontractor: Atlantic Constructors, Inc.
Automation and Control Suppliers: Schneider Electric
Major Equipment Suppliers/Contractors:
- Industrial Air Handling Equipment: Buffalo Air Handling, Division of Air & Liquid
- Commercial Air Handling Equipment: Carrier Corporation
- Electrical Switchgear: Point Eight Power, Inc.
- Emergency Power Generation Equipment: Carter Machinery, Inc.
- Animal Penning Equipment: Britz & Company