CGT and CTM CRC Collaborate on Scaffold Technology Project

On May 24, 2016, the UK’s Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult (CGT) and the Australian Cooperative Research Centre for Cell Therapy Manufacturing (CTM CRC) announced they will be testing, at scale, CTM CRC’s patented scaffold technology. The technology is designed for T-cell stimulation and expansion, and the testing by CGT will provide independent supporting data for ultimate commercial scale-up of this technology. The technology was developed across three of CTM’s participant organizations, the Women’s and Children’s Hospital, the University of South Australia, and Queensland University of Technology.

The consortium will investigate opportunities to apply this technology to commercial-scale cell expansion systems. If successful, this novel scaffold technology will provide a platform for generating large numbers of activated T-cells for cell-based immunotherapies, the CGT said in a press statement. This platform technology could be applied to therapies for a range of clinical conditions such as cancer and autoimmune diseases. This project is being carried out under an extension of an agreement, signed between the two organizations in 2015.

“The issue of scale in cell and gene therapies is one of the toughest challenges the industry faces. We need to have the ability to grow cells reliably and cost effectively at scale in order to get these promising therapies to patients,” Keith Thompson, CEO of CGT, said in a press announcement. “This project is one of several where we are looking at adapting technologies to achieve that scale up. Collaborating with CTM CRC shows that it’s an international effort that’s needed to ensure we address the barriers in the industry.”

Source: CGT