SCTbio, a full-service contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) specializing in cell-based therapy and viral vectors, and Cyto-care.eu, GmbH, a company that specializes in providing advanced solutions for cell therapy and regenerative medicine, entered into a collaboration agreement to improve the quality of cryopreservation for cell therapy development in Europe.

The collaboration aims to address the critical need for efficient collection, cryopreservation, quality control and logistics capabilities of leukapheresis materials to support various aspects of the cell therapy workflow.

Cell collection through leukapheresis procedure is a key enabling step for manufacturing advanced cell therapies products (ATMPs), cutting-edge medicines made from human cells or tissue that are today life-saving therapies. The quantity and quality of collected immune cells, like T cells and natural killer cells used for cell therapies, directly impact the potency, safety, and efficacy of the final therapeutic product. As such, efficient cryopreservation, and logistics of these leukapheresis materials are critical to ensure the preservation of cell viability and functionality during transportation and storage.

Luděk Sojka, CEO of SCTbio, said, “We are thrilled to combine both forces and expertise with Cyto-care.eu, a European leader in producing quality blood-based products from leukapheresis, through this strategic partnership. As the cell and gene therapy field continues to advance, the demand for leukapheresis materials is expected to increase. Clinical trials and commercial production of these therapies require a consistent and reliable supply of high-quality blood-derived products to meet patient needs.”

“Through rigorous analysis and in-depth discussions with the experts of the field, the Needle-to-Freezing time has been identified as a crucial factor for success for the development and manufacturing of ATMPs,” said Klaus Fischer, Cyto-care.eu’s managing director. “Through this collaboration with SCTbio, we can ensure that our leukapheresis products from patients and from donors continue to meet the high-quality standards of our customers’ requirements.”