ElevateBio inks deal with Pittsburgh University to accelerate CGTs

ElevateBio will use its development and manufacturing platform, BaseCamp, to support the University of Pittsburgh’s cell and gene therapy (CGT) pipeline.

The long-term partnership between ElevateBio and the University of Pittsburgh aims to develop CGTs through the implementation of viral vector and cell therapy process development and manufacturing platform, BaseCamp.

BaseCamp is designed for both commercial and clinical cell and gene therapies as well as regenerative medicines.  And according to ElevateBio, the University of Pittsburgh will be fully equipped with its technologies, including induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC), gene editing, and cell, vector, and protein engineering capabilities.

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“To realize our vision of transforming the cell and gene therapy field for decades to come, broadening our footprint across metropolitan areas is a key priority for us, and we are thrilled that the University of Pittsburgh will be home to one of our BaseCamp facilities,” said David Hallal, CEO of ElevateBio.

“We’ve identified Pittsburgh as an ideal location to extend our BaseCamp presence as it sits at the intersection of science, technology, and talent.”

$100m grant

The 30-year agreement is enabled by the Richard King Mellon Foundation, which announced a $100 million grant to the University of Pittsburgh in November last year in order to create the Pitt BioForge BioManufacturing Center at Hazelwood Green.

The implementation of BaseCamp will be located at Pitt BioForge at Hazelwood Green.

““We have some exceptional emerging research coming out of the University of Pittsburgh. However, the missing ingredient has been access[ing] high-quality process science and manufacturing capabilities,” Pitt senior vice chancellor for the health sciences, Anantha Shekhar.

“As we position ourselves to become the next global hub for life sciences and biotech, we were in search of the right partner to help us realize our vision, and ElevateBio’s expertise and reputation in cell and gene therapy made them the perfect partner to accelerate our ability to build our biomanufacturing center.”

The facility is anticipated to generate over 170 permanent full-time jobs and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will provide incentive grants to ElevateBio to support the collaboration and construction of a biomanufacturing center, alongside establishing Pittsburgh as a biotech hub.