BioCentriq And panCELLa Execute Research Agreement To Study Stem Cell-Derived Natural Killer Cell Expansion Technology
NEWARK, NJ and SEATTLE, WA – May 2, 2023 – BioCentriq, Inc. and panCELLa, a Pluristyx Company, announced that they have signed a research agreement designed to evaluate the ability of panCELLa’s genetically-engineered, induced Pluripotent Stem Cell (iPSC)-derived, feeder cells to activate and positively impact the expansion rate, total yield and potency of manufactured NK cells.
BioCentriq, a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) focused exclusively on accelerating the development and manufacturing of cell therapies, will expand and cryopreserve the feeder cell bank for use as a reagent to activate adult and iPSC-derived NK cells and evaluate viable cell yield and potency in static and dynamic culture conditions.
panCELLa developed the feeder line from proprietary, genetically modified, iPSCs to serve as a critical raw material for easy adoption by therapy developers and their partners to overcome the challenges associated with making NK cell therapies. The panCELLa feeder line provides a stable and easily scalable platform that can be fine-tuned to maximize NK cell activation, expansion, and manufacturability. Companies wishing to utilize panCELLa’s feeder line can access a research version for evaluation and a clinical-grade format for therapeutic use through panCELLa and its sub-licensees.
“We envision the panCELLa-provided feeder line as an effective tool in our quest to accelerate the manufacturing of NK cell therapies and can be added to BioCentriq’s proprietary LEAP™ platform,” said Alex Klarer, Vice President of Business Strategy and Innovation at BioCentriq. “Our LEAP-NK™ platform is specifically designed to help biotech companies with promising NK cell therapies advance from lab to clinic in half the time it would normally take by leveraging proven technology, completed development work and established processes ready for GMP production.”
Mahendra Rao, Chief Scientific Officer at Pluristyx, said, “We are pleased that BioCentriq selected our feeder line technology to better serve their cell therapy clients in solving the challenges of NK cell commercial manufacturing. We look forward to working with BioCentriq to bring the next generation of customized cell products and service solutions to speed the transition of these revolutionary therapies from the benchtop to the bedside.”
About BioCentriq
BioCentriq is a full-service, New Jersey-based CDMO for cell and gene therapy, focusing on all stages of process development and clinical manufacturing. It was purchased by GC of South Korea for $73M. With over 90 scientists, engineers, analysts, and manufacturing specialists, the company has established quality systems and the infrastructure required to support the release of autologous and allogeneic drug products. For more information, visit BioCentriq.com.
About panCELLa
Pluristyx with panCELLa offers an enlarged portfolio of unique and effective non-modified and genetically engineered iPSC-based technologies and related services to provide end-to-end client support throughout the product lifecycle. Pluristyx is fast becoming the leading provider of gene-edited iPSC and cell therapy solutions, accelerating the path to clinic and providing the best route to commercialization.