Cellular Origins, a TTP company, acquired the ACTIA (Autologous Cell Therapy Industrial Automation) Platform IP, developed by Geoff Hodge while CEO of SOTIO Biotech US. The ACTIA Platform complements Cellular Origins’ existing approach and will accelerate and expand R&D efforts to further develop the company’s robotic solution for automated cell therapy manufacturing, Constellation™, according to Edwin Stone, PhD, CEO, Cellular Origins.

Launched in May 2023, Constellation combines automation robotics with aseptic fluid-handling technologies in a scalable system. The platform physically and digitally reportedly integrates with a wide range of existing bioprocessing equipment, “enabling users to adopt its use without requiring significant changes to either the workflow or equipment, alleviating the risks and time that come with process redevelopment,” continued Stone.

Autologous cell therapy manufacturing

The ACTIA Platform is focused on the autologous cell therapy manufacturing and allows for massively multiplex and distributed industrial automation, noted a company spokesperson, who added that with this technology, users can selectively increase capacity to target process bottlenecks, typically the expansion step, alongside random access to any process step or patient dose.

“The acquisition of the ACTIA Platform IP shows Cellular Origins’ continued dedication to creating the most efficient, cost effective and scalable solution to cell therapy manufacturing,” said Stone. “Combined with ongoing R&D, this expansion of our technology and IP portfolio underpins our commitment to develop Constellation to solve the challenge of affordable, large-scale production of cell therapies that meets the needs of our customers and ensures we can offer the right solution for long-term success.”

“The approach of stringing together sequential unit ops, as we did to manufacture recombinant proteins, does not meet the unique needs of autologous cell therapy,” explained Hodge, now a scientific adviser at Cellular Origins.

“Constellation has already demonstrated its capabilities to transform manufacturing of cell therapies, offering an easily accessible route to cost- and space-efficient, large-scale production. ACTIA further augments Constellation, and the ambition to revolutionize cell therapy manufacturing and deliver life-saving therapies to more patients than ever before.”

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