Accelerating Cell Therapies with Manufacturing Breakthrough

CAR-T cell therapies continue to be one of the most promising treatments for many cancer patients, but the true potential of the treatments has yet to be tapped into as the therapies remain inaccessible for many patients. In fact, while about 500,000 patients were eligible for CAR T cell therapies in 2020, only about 3,000 commercial doses were produced. Tragically, it’s estimated that 20% of patients eligible for an FDA-approved cell therapy pass away before receiving their treatment, according to the MD Anderson Cancer Center. Technology providers throughout the value stream of cell therapy development are working to close this gap and help more patients.

Thermo Fisher announced a first of its kind technology to help accelerate the molecule-to-market process by driving efficiency and reducing manufacturing costs. In short, the Gibco CTS Detachable Dynabeads utilize an active release mechanism that enables users to actively detach the beads from a target cell at any point within their manufacturing process, eliminating the need to wait up to five days for the traditional process. Faster, less costly manufacturing means more patients’ lives can be saved. And the timing couldn’t be better, with more than 1,600 cell and gene therapies in clinical trials, including nearly 100 in Phase III.