Cold Chain Logistics For Cell Therapy Production – A Conversation With Celyad's Thomas Lequertier

By Cytiva

Cryopreservation is a process in which cells and other biological products are preserved through controlled cooling. Due to risk of osmotic shock, membrane damage, and other dangers that can threaten the efficacy of highly sensitive cell therapies, cryopreservation can be a difficult proposition for biomolecules.

Since cell therapies must be stored and shipped at very low temperatures (usually lower than -130 degrees Celsius), maintaining a therapeutic’s integrity through cryopreservation has far-reaching implications for both its efficacy and long-term commercial success.

CAR-T therapies, which represent highly specialized cancer treatments, are part of a nascent corner of the cell therapy space, and the technologies involved in their development and transport still need significant improvement to support burgeoning demand for these more targeted treatments.

Thomas Lequertier, head of the Cell Therapy Manufacturing Unit at Celyad Oncology, a clinical-stage biotech focused on CAR-T therapeutics sat down with the Business of Biotech podcast to discuss how the company has approached cold chain technology for its CAR-T therapies. Lequertier oversees all GMP and GDP production at Celyad, including validation, technical transfer, production, quality control, maintenance, and supply chain management.