Cellares, an integrated development and manufacturing Organization (IDMO) dedicated to clinical and industrial-scale cell therapy manufacturing, reported that Bristol Myers Squibb has joined its Technology Adoption Partnership (TAP) program. As part of the agreement, BMS will enter into a proof-of-concept transfer process for the manufacture of one of its CAR-T cell therapies using Cellares’ automated manufacturing platform, the Cell Shuttle.

Cellares’ TAP program allows cell therapy developers to adopt the company’s automated manufacturing technology for products in their pipeline. BMS is leveraging the program to evaluate the automated manufacturing process and produce comparability data confirming the Cell Shuttle as a viable and scalable manufacturing solution for cell therapies. 

Cellares’ flexible manufacturing technology supports both autologous and allogeneic cell therapy processes and approximately 90% of cell therapy modalities. According to the company, the manual processes can be automated and tech-transferred onto Cellares’ automated Cell Shuttle platform in six months via the company’s Technology Adoption Partnership (TAP) program. Under the program, cell therapy developers can tech-transfer their cell therapy processes onto a Cell Shuttle at any stage – during pre-clinical development, in the clinic, or after regulatory approval. 

“We’re pleased to welcome Bristol Myers Squibb to the TAP program, and we look forward to demonstrating the ease and efficacy of transferring one of BMS’s cell therapy process onto the Cell Shuttle in the months to come,” said Cellares CEO Fabian Gerlinghaus. “By combining integrated automation with a high-throughput platform, the Cell Shuttle offers unrivaled scalability for the cell therapy industry, while improving quality and lowering COGS.”