Kytopen, a provider of continuous flow cellular engineering technologies, has collaborated with BlueWhale Bio to advance the manufacturing process of immune cell therapies.
The collaboration aims to create a non-viral workflow that addresses existing bottlenecks, expediting the delivery of engineered cell therapies to patients.
Current CAR-T cell therapies, while promising, face challenges such as lengthy vein-to-vein times, high costs and safety concerns, hindering their global adoption.
The collaboration seeks to overcome these barriers by enhancing manufacturing efficiency, therapeutic effectiveness and scaleability.
The integration of Kytopen and BlueWhale Bio’s technologies proposes a new method for cell processing. This approach promises rapid, scaleable production of healthy engineered cells, potentially transforming the manufacturing of personalised cell therapies.
BlueWhale Bio’s Synecta cell-derived nanoparticles (CDNPs) replicate antigen-presenting cells, offering flexibility in therapy development through compatibility with both non-viral and viral delivery systems.
This technology enhances interactions with T-cells by displaying TCR-stimulating ligands and cytokines on a membrane enriched with adhesion molecules.
Kytopen’s Flowfect technology is a tuneable system combining electrical, chemical and mechanical forces.
It maximises transfection efficiency and cell yield, processing huge quantities of high-quality engineered cells swiftly.
This combination of technologies facilitates a non-viral gene-delivery workflow, enabling the production of advanced therapeutic doses while maintaining cell health. Both technologies are currently employed by clinical-stage innovators.
Synecta CDNPs are being used in a Phase I trial, and Flowfect supports partners advancing multiple therapies towards investigational new drug (IND) submission.
Kytopen chief commercial officer Kevin Gutshall stated: “Our mission is to deliver the highest quality cell therapies to patients in the shortest time possible, while driving down manufacturing costs.
“We believe this partnership represents a pivotal step forward in personalised cell therapy, bringing us significantly closer to drastically reduced vein-to-vein times for lifesaving treatments.”
