GMP manufacturer OrganaBio has announced its acquisition of the operating assets of San Diego-based Excellos to create a new "bicoastal" cell therapy contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO).
The newly formed subsidiary, Excellos Labs, LLC (Excellos Labs), will be responsible for San Diego operations going forward.
The firm said the acquisition would create a more comprehensive cell therapy service provider, combining complementary capabilities and expanding geographic coverage.
The company's combined platform now spans multiple facilities across the US.
OrganaBio’s Miami headquarters anchors the East Coast with adult leukapheresis (via its HemaCenter subsidiary), birth tissue and cord blood sourcing (via its GaiaGift subsidiary), ISO 7 cGMP cleanrooms, process development, QC/analytical testing, PBMC isolation and cryopreservation.
On the West Coast, OrganaBio operates cell processing and cryopreservation labs in San Francisco and Irvine, California and now adds Excellos' downtown San Diego facility, a purpose-built site with five ISO 7 cGMP cleanroom suites supporting autologous and allogeneic cell therapy manufacturing, cell isolation and enrichment, expansion and fill/finish.
OrganaBio added that the core Excellos team would be retained to help ensure existing Excellos customer programmes can continue uninterrupted.
Companies that rely on a single vendor can face supply chain risks; however, using multiple sources may result in quality inconsistencies.
With bicoastal cGMP manufacturing, OrganaBio now provides PBMC isolation for clinical trials and cryopreservation of patient leukopaks, all under a unified quality framework.
The company stressed in its statement that the approach ensures the necessary geographic redundancy without compromising quality, streamlining the path from cell therapy development to patient treatment.
"Cell therapy developers and the patients waiting on their programmes need a manufacturing partner that can match the pace and quality of their work. Combining OrganaBio's and Excellos' infrastructure and teams lets us do that more reliably than either company could alone," said Justin Irizarry, CEO of OrganaBio.
Our priority in the coming months is operational continuity for every customer of both companies, with broader capabilities layered in as integration progresses.
"This acquisition is the best of both worlds, ensuring continuity for Excellos' customers as we move into our next phase while adding critical redundancy, expanded geographical reach and access to additional services and materials, including cord blood," added Tom VanCott, CEO of Excellos.
Both organisations will maintain current operations for customers and partners while aiming for full integration within the next 12 months.
The focus will be on enhancing speed and quality, expanding services and supporting growth across the combined platform.