Cellular therapy CDMO Cognate to create center of excellence with Terumo

16-Oct-2018 - Last updated on 08-Aug-2019 at 20:23 GMT

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Under the collaboration, Cognate will integrate Terumo’s processing tools into its innovation labs and will serve as a technology reference center for Termo’s devices as well as a beta site for new technologies.

Delara Motlagh, VP of cell therapy technology at Terumo, told us that the collaboration will give Terumo user’s insights from Cognate scientists. As Cognate works with Terumo’s technologies in the lab, the company can understand how those technologies can be advanced.

“We also believe this collaboration will increase access to Terumo BCT’s automated solutions for researchers and developers as they innovate toward tomorrow’s therapies,” said Motlagh.

According to Cognate CEO J. Kelly Ganjei, the rationale behind the letter of intent is to work towards providing a center of excellence for Terumo’s technology, which provides clients who are interested in the technology the opportunity to perform proof of concept studies using the equipment with minimal lead times and a current good manufacturing process (cGMP) setting.

“Having access to more technology enables our teams to evaluate where time/cost savings can be made using these technologies in early development and even with later stage clients and products when it might pay to do the comparability work to lower costs of manufacturing.

“By doing this the two companies add value to our existing clients and ultimately get product to patients quicker and more cost-effectively,” said Ganjei.

Motlagh added that through automation technologies, Terumo BCT can help clients gain market approval for cell therapies while decreasing costs. “Once this collaboration agreement with Cognate BioServices is in place, we can further shape both manufacturing and automation standards. As a result, we will enable these innovators to increase their reproducibility and predictability,” said Motlagh.

Ganjei further explained that through the intended collaboration Cognate will provide access to a growing range of clients in need of advancements for safer, automated, and higher throughput solution production process.

In November Terumo’s technologies will be used at a Shanghai Center of Excellence through a collaboration with UniCAR a biotech, to leverage research and clinical trials that are in progress.