Tokyo-based pharma giant shutters Seattle research facility, lays off 50 employees
Apr 14, 2026, 2:00 PM
A photo of a lab worker. (Photo: Brendan Smialowski, Getty Images)
(Photo: Brendan Smialowski, Getty Images)
Tokyo-based Astellas Pharma will close its Seattle office of Universal Cells in a move that will lay off 50 employees.
The company will shut down all operations at the 3005 1st Avenue, Seattle site, with all employees expected to be laid off or relocated to other locations by July 1, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act filing.
The company noted a handful of the affected employees’ positions would be relocated to other Astellas Group research locations in South San Francisco and Westborough, Massachusetts.
Employee separations will take place in multiple waves, with the first expected to occur on July 1, and the remaining waves will continue on roughly a quarterly basis before concluding by April 1, 2028.
The reasoning behind the closure is that the company is consolidating its cell and gene therapy and oncology research activities in Seattle into its California and Massachusetts sites, according to an emailed statement obtained by BioSpace.
The decision to consolidate is part of Astellas’ plans to set up its research and development organization for long-term sustainability, a company spokesperson told BioSpace.
The company continues to push toward efficiency in its research footprint, strengthen its scientific collaboration, concentrate critical capabilities, and ensure its research platforms remain “competitive, scalable, and positioned for long-term impact.”
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