• 23 Apr 2024
• Admin
• News Article

Bristol Myers Squibb & Cellares Announces Agreement for CAR T Cell Therapies Manufacturing

Bristol Myers Squibb, Cellares announce a $380 mn worldwide capacity reservation and supply agreement for manufacture of CAR T cell therapies

Overview

Bristol Myers Squibb and Cellares, the first Integrated Development and Manufacturing Organization (IDMO) dedicated to clinical and industrial-scale cell therapy manufacturing, announced a worldwide capacity reservation and supply agreement for the manufacture of CAR T cell therapies in a transaction valued up to $380 million in upfront and milestone payments.

Terms of Agreement

• As part of the agreement, Cellares will optimize, automate, and tech-transfer select Bristol Myers Squibb CAR T cell therapies onto its automated and high-throughput manufacturing platform, the Cell Shuttle. 
• Cellares will dedicate multiple Cell Shuttle and Cell Q systems with fully automated, high-throughput quality control for Bristol Myers Squibb’s exclusive use. 
• The Cell Shuttles and Cell Qs will be deployed in Cellares’ Smart Factories in the US, EU, and Japan.

Cell Therapies Manufacturing

• Manufacturing cell therapies is both operationally and technically complex. 
• Because cell therapies are rapidly transforming the way many different diseases are treated, the demand for these treatments is increasing significantly. 
• This collaboration enables Bristol Myers Squibb to expand its manufacturing capacity, meeting the growing demand for its diverse range of cell therapies through a platform that is scalable and has the potential to improve turnaround time, bringing the promise of cell therapies to more patients faster.

Words from Bristol Myers Squibb

• “The agreement with Cellares is our latest step forward in support of our comprehensive strategy to unlock the full potential of CAR T therapy to deliver transformative treatments to as many patients as possible, as quickly as possible,” said Lynelle B. Hoch, president, Cell Therapy Organization, Bristol Myers Squibb. 
• “Our collaboration with Cellares strengthens our existing internal manufacturing capabilities for CAR T cell therapies by giving us access to the first end-to-end fully automated cell therapy manufacturing platform, to help ensure we meet the high demand for these differentiated treatments, now and in the future.”

Extension of Previous Agreement

• This agreement expands upon the existing collaborations between Bristol Myers Squibb and Cellares. 
• In August 2023, Bristol Myers Squibb participated in Cellares’ Series C financing to launch the first IDMO Smart Factory in an effort to meet the demand for cell therapies globally. 
• That same month, Bristol Myers Squibb joined Cellares’ Technology Adoption Partnership (TAP) Program to evaluate the Cell Shuttle’s automated manufacturing capabilities.

Words from CEO: Cellares

• “This agreement with Bristol Myers Squibb is aligned with our strategy of establishing a global network of high-throughput, automated Smart Factories to meet the growing and worldwide demand for cell therapies,” said Fabian Gerlinghaus, CEO and co-founder of Cellares. 
• “We look forward to demonstrating how our innovative technology’s emphasis on standardization will accelerate commercial-scale manufacturing and worldwide deployment. Our collaboration with Bristol Myers Squibb and our collective expertise furthers our mission to accelerate access to life-saving cell therapies for patients globally.""

Bristol Myers Squibb

Bristol Myers Squibb is a global biopharmaceutical company whose mission is to discover, develop and deliver innovative medicines that help patients prevail over serious diseases.

About Cellares

• Cellares is the first Integrated Development and Manufacturing Organization (IDMO) and takes an Industry 4.0 approach to mass manufacturing the living drugs of the 21st century. 
• The company is both developing and operating integrated technologies for cell therapy manufacturing to accelerate access to life-saving cell therapies.