BioCentriq, Inc. and panCELLa, a Pluristyx Company, signed a research agreement to evaluate the ability of panCELLa’s genetically engineered, induced Pluripotent Stem Cell (iPSC)-derived, feeder cells to activate and positively impact the expansion rate, total yield, and potency of manufactured NK cells.

BioCentriq, a CDMO focused exclusively on accelerating the development and manufacturing of cell therapies, aims to expand and cryopreserve the feeder cell bank for use as a reagent to activate adult and iPSC-derived NK cells and evaluate viable cell yield and potency in static and dynamic culture conditions.

panCELLa developed the feeder line from its genetically modified iPSCs to serve as a critical raw material for easy adoption by therapy developers and their partners to overcome the challenges associated with making NK cell therapies.

The panCELLa feeder line provides a stable and easily scalable platform that can be fine-tuned to maximize NK cell activation, expansion, and manufacturability. Companies wishing to utilize panCELLa’s feeder line can access a research version for evaluation and a clinical-grade format for therapeutic use through panCELLa and its sub-licensees.

“We envision the panCELLa-provided feeder line as an effective tool in our quest to accelerate the manufacturing of NK cell therapies and can be added to BioCentriq’s proprietary LEAP platform,” said, Alex Klarer, vice president of business strategy and innovation at BioCentriq. “Our LEAP-NK platform is specifically designed to help biotech companies with promising NK cell therapies advance from lab to clinic in half the time it would normally take by leveraging proven technology, completed development work and established processes ready for GMP production.”

Mahendra Rao, chief scientific officer at Pluristyx, said, “We are pleased that BioCentriq selected our feeder line technology to better serve their cell therapy clients in solving the challenges of NK cell commercial manufacturing.  We look forward to working with BioCentriq to bring the next generation of customized cell products and service solutions to speed the transition of these revolutionary therapies from the benchtop to the bedside.”