Cellular Biomedicine Group and GE Healthcare Life Sciences China agreed to a strategic research collaboration to co-develop certain high-quality industrial control processes in chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell and stem cell manufacturing. In connection with the collaboration, a joint laboratory within CBMG’s new Shanghai Zhangjiang GMP facility will be established and dedicated to the joint research and development of a functionally integrated and automated immunotherapy cell preparation system.

CBMG and GE Healthcare Life Sciences China plan to develop automated CAR T-cell and stem cell manufacturing capabilities that build upon the accreditation of CBMG’s GMP facilities in Shanghai, Wuxi, and Beijing. The co-development activity will aim to standardize the delivery of cell manufacturing to potentially improve throughput, alleviate cost burdens, and minimize variability in cell production, which may increase the availability of engineered cells upon commercialization. 

This partnership combines CBMG’s scientific expertise in the manufacturing of CAR T-cell and stem cell production in China and GE Healthcare’s expertise in the design and development of innovative manufacturing technologies for the biopharmaceutical industry.

Recently, CBMG announced that its new Zhangjiang facility, together with expanded Wuxi and Beijing GMP facilities, will have a combined 70,000 square feet for development and production. This will enable CBMG to conduct simultaneous clinical trials for multiple CAR T-cell and stem cell product candidates. At full production volumes, these facilities could support the treatment of up to 10,000 cancer patients and 10,000 knee osteoarthritis patients per year.

“GE Healthcare‘s selection of our facility to serve as their showcase site in China credits our GMP stature and capabilities. Our team of scientists has spent years refining our manufacturing process to become one of the very few cell therapy companies with fully in-house integrated chemistry, manufacturing, and controls (CMC) processes for clinical grade CAR T cells, plasmid, and viral vectors bank production. We understand that one of the impending barriers to adoption of immuno-oncology and stem cell therapies is the logistics in manufacturing, and we look to take an expanded role both domestically and potentially globally. We are pleased to be in a strategic partnership with GE Healthcare and look forward to showcasing our facilities and the mutual benefit this joint laboratory will bring,” said Tony Liu, CEO, CBMG.

“Cell therapy as an industry continues to refine and evolve in China with vast potential to change the ways various diseases are treated. GE continues investing in technologies and services aimed at the thriving cell therapy industry with a firm commitment of making these promising therapies accessible through successful industrialization. We are pleased to partner with CBMG, a leader in CAR T-cell and stem cell development in China and to take advantage of their excellent CMC cell production capabilities,” added Li Qing, general manager, GE Healthcare Life Sciences, Greater China. 

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