Innovate UK Awards Thousands for Development of Cell Stabilization Technologies

It has been announced that Innovate UK has awarded a grant worth £267,000 (US$327,000) to the Atelerix Consortium for the collaborative work with the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult and Rexgenero on development of cell stabilization technology.

The initial focus of the collaborative project will be to advance gel stabilization technology, which has been developed by Atelerix, so that it can be used to extend the shelf life of cell-based therapies from Rexgenero to be stored and transported at room temperature. Rexgenero’s lead candidate, REX-001, will be the first therapy to benefit from the development project; however, the technology is expected to have a broad range of application. The Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult will provide expertise and experience to the project.

“We look forward to initiating this project. Extending the shelf life of our REX-001 autologous cell therapy is important to ensure that hospitals have the flexibility for less rigid scheduling of operating theatres, making it easier to treat patients and therefore enabling as many patients as possible to be treated with this novel, potentially curative therapy,” said Joe Dupere, CEO of Rexgenero in the press release. “Room temperature storage and transportation also widens our manufacturing options and should help to drive down cost.”

Mick McLean, CEO of Atelerix, added, “We’re excited to be part of this collaboration with Rexgenero and the team at the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult, and we deeply appreciate the support of Innovate UK to bring us together for this important project. The critical logistics of getting viable cell therapies to the patient are often overlooked and extending the shelf life of therapies such as REX-001 at room temperature would open up an entirely new approach for this sector.”

“We have a long-standing relationship with Rexgenero and have collaborated with them previously to support the commercial manufacture of the REX-001 product,” said Keith Thompson, CEO of the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult. “This collaboration underlines the strength of expertise that exists within the UK to support the cost-effective commercialization of cell therapies including in the important area of supply chain technologies. It is a great example of bringing together the capabilities of CGT Catapult and the expert companies that make up the complete UK cell and gene therapy ecosystem.”

Source: Rexgenero