The Daily Dig
ABK Biomedical, COR Development, and Coil Construction have announced plans to develop a GMP manufacturing facility at Cartwright Business Park in Ashland, Missouri. The facility is designed for long-term commercial-scale production of Eye90 microspheres, a liver cancer device that carries FDA Breakthrough Device Designation and is currently in clinical development.
Coil Construction is leading design and construction. The builder brings experience in commercial, industrial, and institutional work across the Midwest and will be responsible for meeting the stringent regulatory and technical requirements that medical isotope device manufacturing demands. COR Development is serving as the project developer.
The site was chosen for its proximity to the University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR) in Columbia, the only domestic producer of yttrium-90, the radioisotope central to Eye90 microspheres production. ABK describes the location as a critical strategic advantage, citing a time sensitive supply chain that depends on keeping the distance between reactor and production line as short as possible.
The new facility is expected to serve as the cornerstone of ABK's global commercial supply chain as the company moves toward full-scale commercialization.
The project is expected to bring new high-tech jobs to the Columbia area and strengthen Missouri's reputation as a hub for nuclear medicine and biotechnology.
Project Snapshot:
Project: GMP Manufacturing Facility for Eye90 Microspheres
Developer: COR Development
End User: ABK Biomedical, Inc.
General Contractor: Coil Construction
Location: Cartwright Business Park, Ashland, Missouri
Region: Columbia, MO Metro Area
Sector: Life Sciences / Medical Device Manufacturing
Scope: GMP production facility for long-term commercial-scale medical isotope device manufacturing
Product: Eye90 Microspheres (Y90 radioembolization device for liver cancer treatment)
Regulatory Status: FDA Breakthrough Device Designation; currently in clinical development
Key Supply Chain Factor: Proximity to MURR (University of Missouri Research Reactor), sole U.S. producer of yttrium-90 radioisotope
Facility Role: Cornerstone of ABK Biomedical's global commercial supply chain
Workforce Impact: New high-tech jobs expected in the Columbia, MO area
Announced: April 8, 2026
TheJobWalk Thoughts
GMP facilities are not standard commercial builds. The regulatory and technical requirements for medical isotope device manufacturing sit well above typical commercial or industrial work, and that scope will define how this project is designed, sequenced, and delivered from day one. For Coil Construction and any trade partners involved, understanding that environment early is what separates a smooth project from a costly one.
The location decision here is worth paying attention to. ABK specifically cited proximity to MURR as a critical strategic advantage because Y90 supply is time-sensitive and MURR is the only domestic source. When a client builds a facility around a supply chain constraint that tight, it tells you a lot about how that building will need to perform from the day it opens.
