Monday, January 9, 2023 (Toronto, ON) – Viral vectors are critical components in the manufacturing of cell and gene therapies, but their production is currently a key bottleneck and cost driver. CCRM, a leader in developing and commercializing cell and gene therapies, has partnered with Membio, a Canadian biotechnology company developing a 0.2-10 L benchtop single-use bioreactor system, to streamline production of viral vectors. This will be the first collaboration of the two organizations and will explore combining Membio’s bioreactor system with CCRM’s innovative virus producing cell line.
Membio’s fully closed and automated perfusion bioreactor is built for the next generation of biomanufacturing applications to make cells easier, cheaper, and faster to manufacture.
“Addressing the high cost of manufacturing cell and gene therapies is key to a future where transformative treatments can be afforded and adopted by health systems,” says Michael May, President and CEO of CCRM. “CCRM is pleased to work with Membio to drive efficiency in manufacturing processes for our – and subsidiary OmniaBio’s – customers, and ultimately increase the accessibility of life-saving medicines.”
The proprietary design of Membio’s fully closed and automated perfusion bioreactor mimics the human body’s circulation system to locally deliver nutrients to cells in a way that maintains a consistent environment across a useful range of reactor volumes. By maintaining a consistent environment as the bioreactor volume increases, processes can be quickly and easily transferred between scales, thus reducing time spent on process development.
“Cell and gene therapies are revolutionary medicines that need to be manufactured efficiently in order to be accessible to all of the patients who could benefit from them,” says Shane Kilpatrick, CEO of Membio. “CCRM is the premier organization for manufacturing cell and gene therapies in Canada. We are thrilled to be working with such an experienced team to improve the manufacturing process of cell and gene therapies by leveraging our novel bioreactor system.”
About CCRM
CCRM is a global, public-private partnership headquartered in Canada. It receives funding from the Government of Canada, the Province of Ontario and leading academic and industry partners. CCRM supports the development of regenerative medicines and associated enabling technologies, with a specific focus on cell and gene therapy. A network of researchers, leading companies, investors and entrepreneurs, CCRM accelerates the translation of scientific discovery into new companies and marketable products for patients with specialized teams, dedicated funding and unique infrastructure. In 2022, CCRM established OmniaBio Inc., a commercial-stage CDMO for manufacturing cell and gene therapies. CCRM is the commercialization partner of the University of Toronto’s Medicine by Design. CCRM is hosted by the University of Toronto. Visit us at ccrm.ca.
About Membio
Membio is a privately held Canadian company enabling the future of medicine by making cells easier and less expensive to grow. Cell and gene therapies are radically changing how we treat disease, but their high manufacturing costs are preventing them from reaching many of the patients who need them. Membio’s single-use benchtop bioreactor system addresses this challenge head-on and is purpose-built to enable the cost-effective and scalable manufacturing of cells. Membio’s next-generation bioreactor technology combines unprecedented scalability with automation to expedite process development timelines and make expanding cells up to 10,000-fold as simple as clicking a button. Visit us at membio.ca.
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