GERMANY – Fresenius Kabi and Cellular Origins have announced a strategic partnership to revolutionize the manufacturing of cell and gene therapies (CGT) through automation.
By integrating Fresenius Kabi’s cell therapy processing technologies with Cellular Origins’ Constellation robotic platform, the collaboration aims to streamline the production of cell therapies at scale while maintaining compatibility with preferred tools used by therapy developers.
The primary goal of the partnership is to enhance production efficiency and minimize the risk of human error-induced variability, which remains a significant challenge in the field.
Automation will allow for more consistent, precise, and scalable manufacturing of advanced therapies, accelerating the delivery of life-saving treatments to patients.
The partnership will begin by focusing on the integration of Fresenius Kabi’s Cue cell processing system into Cellular Origins’ Constellation platform.
The Cue system was chosen as the starting point due to its flexibility and proven results across a wide range of applications, including final formulation and culture media exchange.
Its design allows for precise and consistent processing, making it an ideal candidate for integration with Constellation’s automation platform.
Once successful integration of the Cue system is achieved, the partnership will expand its focus to include other Fresenius Kabi technologies.
This includes the Lovo Cell Processing System and additional products currently under development.
Dr. Edwin Stone, CEO of Cellular Origins, emphasized the transformative nature of the collaboration: “Constellation was developed to enable fully industrialized manufacture of cell and gene therapies.”
Forming strong collaborations is essential to ensure the industry can implement the transformative power of automation.
Fresenius Kabi is an industry-leading developer of automated technologies to support cell therapy production.
Fresenius Kabi’s Cell Therapy Technologies portfolio is designed to address key challenges in cell therapy manufacturing, offering scalable solutions that support research and production needs.
Cellular Origins recognizes that achieving scalable cell therapies requires cross-industry collaboration.
By partnering with leading technology providers like Fresenius Kabi, the company seeks to enhance the manufacturing process without requiring significant redevelopment.
Constellation’s design allows for seamless automation, which alleviates the risk of human error while improving production efficiency and consistency.
The collaboration reflects both companies’ commitment to advancing CGT manufacturing by combining Fresenius Kabi’s expertise in cell therapy technologies with Cellular Origins’ innovative automation solutions.
Together, they aim to unlock automation throughout the manufacturing process to bring life-saving therapies to patients faster and more affordably.
Fresenius Kabi’s recent achievements underscore its role as a leader in advanced therapies.
In October 2024, the company received US FDA approval for Otulfi (ustekinumab-aauz), a biosimilar to Stelara, further solidifying its position in healthcare innovation.
