Bracco Imaging and Limula have announced the launch of a research and development (R&D) project in collaboration with Prof. Nicola Vannini, an expert in T-cell metabolism at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland.
Cell and Gene Therapies (CGT), also called Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs), represent a revolution in medicine.
CAR-T and other cell therapies are already transforming the lives of cancer patients worldwide, with a global market expected to exceed $100bn by 2034.
The complex manufacturing of these treatments remains a bottleneck to their widespread adoption in the clinic.
Cell selection and activation are critical steps in these processes, often followed by genetic manipulations.
The goal of this public-private partnership, funded through an innovation project grant from the Swiss Innovation Agency Innosuisse, is to combine two innovations, lipid-based microbubbles and an automated cell processing technology, to offer an alternative to conventional magnetic beads for affinity-based cell selection and activation.
In this context, microbubbles are used to modify the density of target cells through specific binding, enabling their selection by natural buoyancy.
Dr Thierry Bettinger, Director of the Bracco Research Centre Geneva, said: “Integrating Bracco’s microbubble technology — clinically used for more than two decades in imaging — with Limula’s instrumentation offers a compelling approach to improved cell manufacturing, aiming to accelerate access to more affordable therapies for a broader patient population.”
Dr Luc Henry, CEO at Limula, adds: "This partnership reflects the need for a multidisciplinary approach to innovation in Cell and Gene Therapy."
"Our collaboration with Bracco and Prof. Vannini will provide us with the complementary expertise needed to deliver value to our biopharma and hospital customers.”
The concept of using buoyancy to capture cells and other components of interest is already being used in life science applications, including in cell and gene therapy manufacturing.
Some of the anticipated advantages of the unique lipid formulation provided by Bracco include the easy removal of traceless reagents from the cell product during the manufacturing process, which significantly simplifies quality control.
Another benefit stemming from the gentle cell processing technology developed by Limula will be better yields, purity and overall product quality, leading to potentially improved clinical outcomes for patients.
Prof. Nicola Vannini from the University of Fribourg is contributing his deep expertise in T-cell physiology and metabolism.
He adds: “We see tremendous potential in innovative approaches to some of the key cell manipulation steps required to deliver improved patient outcomes."
"My team is looking forward to evaluating the impact of these new technologies on the fitness of the cell products."