US-based Cytiva is set to contribute towards charity Caring Cross' research into cell therapy for people with HIV.
Cytiva will provide technologies and solutions in support of Caring Cross' aims to use manufacturing and distribution models to enable the accessibility of CAR-T cell therapies to diverse patient populations and treatment indications.
Approximately 38 million people worldwide are living with HIV. Current options...are not curative nor are they readily available in undeserved communities.
The software packages that will be provided include the Sepax C-Pro, a compact, versatile place of care instrument with capabilities to automatically isolate, concentrate, wash and dilute cellular products and subsequently reduce total processing times of CAR-T manufacturing.
Dr Boro Dropulić, Caring Cross' co-founder and Executive Director, said: "Approximately 38 million people worldwide are living with HIV. Current treatment options are limited to long-term drug regimens, which are not curative nor are they readily available in underserved communities."
Boro Dropulić added: "We have developed an anti-HIV duo CAR-T cell therapy that's currently being evaluated in a phase I/II clinical trial at the University of California, San Francisco and Davis."
Other equipment provided includes the VIA Thaw and VIA Freeze instruments designed to streamline freezing and thawing processes resulting in increased efficiency, while minimising contamination risks of traditional methods such as water baths.
Dropulić continued: "Our collaboration with Cytiva will allow us to overcome some current limitations in the manufacturing workflows used for place-of-care manufacturing. Ultimately, this partnership will result in a lower cost of goods and reduced manufacturing times, which will accelerate the development of future therapies."
Catarina Flyborg, VP of Cell and Gene Therapy at Cytiva, said: "Every person should be able to access advanced medicines. By sharing our expertise and providing our solutions to Caring Cross, we can support the development of therapeutics that will positively impact the lives of people living with HIV."
A stem cell gene therapy for Sickle Cell Disease and Beta-Thalassemia is also in development. Cytiva's expertise will advance Caring Cross' ongoing initiatives that aim to improve the accessibility and affordability of CAR-T technology and stem cell gene therapy.