Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies has partnered with GenCure (a subsidiary of BioBridge Global) to expand and combine cell and gene therapy production solutions.

Apheresis services firm Terumo and manufacturing services company for cell and cell-based advanced therapies GenCure said the partnership aims to link the cell and gene therapy (CGT) supply chain from end-to-end to find solutions to scale-up and quality challenges in the industry.

This latest agreement follows a string of activities between the organizations dating back over twenty years and, according to both parties, the firms will combine their respective technologies to address the increased demand across the CGT space for smart systems that are closed and automated, allowing for real-time response.

Image: Stock Photo Secrets

Under the terms of the deal, Terumo will contribute various products from its portfolio to enable in-plant optimization of processes as well as user feedback. Furthermore, GenCure will make use of Terumo’s cell collection, CGT manufacturing and fill-finish equipment.

“Despite the rapid evolution of the cell and gene therapy sector, critical challenges such as management between collection, manufacturing sites and logistics still remain unresolved. For over 20 years, Terumo has been working with BioBridge to provide safe, high-quality blood products,” said Delara Motlagh, general manager, cell therapy technologies, Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies.

“We are now combining our product portfolios, expertise and management to provide a vital link between cell collection sites and cell and gene therapy manufacturing sites, while addressing capacity and ensuring GMP production. This will provide a route to deliver cutting-edge cell and gene therapies through pursuing new standards of collection and manufacturing, including quality, consistency and demonstrated scalability.”

According to Terumo, the collaboration will establish a manufacturing center for BioBridge Global through both organizations developing core process and production operations. Additionally, the reference site is said to allow GenCure to provide a full solution for CGT developers and it will be located at the VelocityTX campus in San Antonio, Texas.

Two phases, three years

The partnership is expected to last three years and will consist of two phases. In the first phase, Terumo will pick from its portfolio of automated and closed cell and gene therapy manufacturing technologies and have the ability to share GenCure’s offered services.

The second phase will then allow GenCure and other BioBridge Global subsidiaries to access and use Terumo’s data management solutions to enable transition between clinical and manufacturing sites by allowing chain-of-custody, identity, and consistency of leukapheresis products.