Catamaran Bio will have non-exclusive clinical and commercial rights to use MaxCyte’s Flow Electroporation technology and ExPERT platform. MaxCyte has signed a strategic platform licence (SPL) with Catamaran, a company focused on developing off-the-shelf chimeric antigen receptor natural killer (CAR-NK) cell therapies used to treat a wide range of cancers, particularly solid tumors. While financial details of this deal remain undisclosed, MaxCyte has confirmed it will receive platform licensing fees and program-related revenue under the terms of the agreement. “The…

The extended collaboration sees Sartorius and RoosterBio aim to commercialize exosome production and purification processes using various technologies.  The partnership between Sartorius and RoosterBio began almost two years ago. The firms teamed up to find ways of scaling-up production of stem cell-based regenerative therapies and combined Rooster’s human mesenchymal stem/stromal cell (hMSC) working cell banks and media systems with Sartorius’ single-use manufacturing tech, process control software and analysis tools. Now, both parties say the extended partnership looks to “take a…

Moderna says the acquisition of Japan-based OriCiro will provide it with the tools needed for cell-synthesis and amplification of plasmid DNA. Moderna will buy OriCiro Genomics, a company founded in 2018 that focuses on cell-free DNA synthesis and amplification technologies, for $85 million, bolstering its messenger RNA (mRNA) technology offering. OriCiro is Moderna’s first acquisition since the company launched in 2010. The deal  comes two years after the success of its cell-free COVID-19 vaccine, mRNA-1273, which received emergency use authorization (EUA)…

Fresh from announcing its acquisition of Tmunity, Kite Pharma is buying a 50% stake in a cancer drug being developed by US biotech Arcellx. The Gilead unit will pay $225 million and cash and make a $100 million equity investment in Arcellx for a half share in CART-ddBCMA, a candidate treatment for patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. Currently in Phase II clinical development, CART-ddBCMA is made of autologous T cells that have been modified using Arcellx’s novel D-Domain…

ReiThera is manufacturing the drug substance for Sabin Vaccine Institute’s ChAd3 Ebola Sudan vaccine and performing fill/finish for the first 9,600 doses. Contract development manufacturing organization (CDMO) ReiThera will produce Sabin’s ChAd3 (chimpanzee adenovirus) Ebola Sudan single-dose vaccine at its Castel Romano Technopole plant, Italy, which it opened in November. ReiThera claims Sabin is the first organization to provide the World Health Organization (WHO) its Ebola Sudan vaccine to support the Ebola Sudan outbreak in Uganda.  Around 1,100 doses of Sabin’s vaccine…

As the year draws to a close, BioProcess Insider brings you our Christmas quiz special where we test your 2022 M&A knowledge. 2022 has been a year full of M&A activity, some with big price tags and others that have seen companies move into different modalities and service offerings. BioProcess Insider wanted to bring our readers some festive fun ahead of Christmas and the New Year. Happy Christmas from Bioprocess Insider and here’s to another year full M&A activity!   Loading…

CDMO sector M&A activity continued apace in 2022 with contractors making deals to cater for evolving drug industry demands – particularly mRNA-related production capabilities – to add capacity and to tap regional markets. The pharmaceutical contract manufacturing sector is highly fragmented yadda, yadda, yadda… Consolidation is an acknowledged growth strategy blah, blah, blah… Deal making has been, and always will be, a defining characteristic of the CDMO space. The difference this year is that while some contractors have bought for…

AGC Biologics and Gore have teamed up to improve downstream purification processes by using increased productivity of the Protein A step. The collaboration between contract development manufacturing organization (CDMO) AGC and W.L Gore & Associates (Gore) includes the entirety of GORE Protein Capture Devices with protein A, which the firm says advances productivity in Protein A purification. “The goal of this collaboration is to combine the expertise of two industry leaders, enabling them to work together to optimize a long-standing…

Andelyn Biosciences has partnered with the INADcure Foundation to bring the first-ever gene therapy for Infantile Neuroaxonal Dystrophy (INAD) to clinical trials. Contract development manufacturing organization (CDMO) Andelyn will deliver adeno associated-associated virus vectors (AAV) in a ready-to-use format to the INADcure Foundation. The foundation was formed in 2017 to accelerate development for the treatment of INAD and other types of PLA2G6-related neurodegeneration (PLAN). “Andelyn will manufacture the gene therapy under GMP and sterile conditions in specially qualified cleanrooms,” a…

Inceptor has joined Ori Biotech’s LEAP program to advance solid tumor cell therapy access and bolster its manufacturing capabilities ahead of clinical trials. Inceptor has been granted pre-commercial access to Ori’s automated cell and gene therapy manufacturing platform and digital capabilities through joining the company’s LightSpeed Early Access Program (LEAP). Financial details of the deal have not been disclosed but it is confirmed that Inceptor will use Ori’s manufacturing platform technology to produce its chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) M, T,…