Ori Biotech Ltd., a leader in cell and gene therapy (CGT) manufacturing technology, has shared details of its strategic expansion plan following its $100 million Series B funding round in January 2022, including adding key expertise and personnel and new facilities globally in order to rapidly transition into the launch of its innovative cell and gene therapy (CGT) manufacturing platform.
 
“Our recent Series B funding has enabled us to continue to invest in rapid expansion in preparation for full commercial launch. This ambition has also required us to bring new expertise into the business as well as expand our physical footprint in the U.S. and UK,” said Jason C. Foster, CEO, Ori Biotech. “We have added significant expertise to our senior team and are opening two new facilities that will jointly enable us to extend our leadership position in the industrialization of personalized medicines.”

New Personnel

Ori is continuing to expand key personnel both in the U.S. and UK, with a variety of additional roles within teams across digital infrastructure, data analytics, software, manufacturing, and quality.
 
Kale Feeter and Lindsey Clarke have joined Ori as Directors of Business Development. Feeter was formerly at Cytiva and Thermo Fisher while Clarke joins from Bio-Techne having previously been at Miltenyi Biotec.
 
In addition, Quentin Vicard has been appointed as Director of Product Management joining from Sartorius, Brian Macauley has joined as Cloud Platform Lead and Claire Horlock as Principal Scientist, joining from Autolus.
 
Ori Biotech has built on what is already a world class Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). Isabelle Rivière adds 25 years of CGT experience to the SAB, including from the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), where she is currently the Director, Cell Therapy and Cell Engineering Laboratory. Rivière is also a co-founder of Juno Therapeutics, and a board member of the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT) and past board member of the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM).
 
Jason Bock, CEO at the newly formed CTMC and formerly VP and Head of Biologics Product Development, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, also adds 20 years biotech experience developing and bringing therapeutics to the market.

New Lab and Corporate Facility

In parallel, Ori is opening a new laboratory and corporate facility in Princeton, New Jersey and will be opening a new Technology Center, in Cambridge, UK.
 
David Smith, VP, Technical Operations, will head the team based at Princeton Innovation Center Biolabs. This space includes labs as well as corporate offices and meeting facilities. The laboratory space is to be used for partner work, proof of concept testing, demonstrations, technology integration as well as providing additional application development. This facility will support the existing main Ori laboratory facilities in London, UK.
 
The new Technology Center in Cambridge, UK will be used for engineering, Research and Development including in the fields of mechanics, electronics, software, data science, multiphysics and robotics. Led by Stuart Milne, Chief Technology Officer, the facility will enable a specialized team of engineers and scientists to develop Ori’s next generation prototypes, mechanical, electrical and software activity and digital platforms.
 
“The commercialization of Ori’s automated cell and gene therapy manufacturing platform will require technical and scientific research and development as well as working closely with a range of different organizations within the international cell and gene therapy sector on an ongoing basis. Our New Jersey facility will provide a flexible location for us to meet with our partners and customers based in the U.S.,” said David Smith, VP, Technical Operations, Ori Biotech.
 
“Expanding Ori’s ability to operate in both the U.S. and UK will be vital not just to launch the platform that the cell and gene therapy sector requires but to continue to enhance the platform as the sector evolves. Our dedicated UK technology center in Cambridge will be vital for the device and hardware development,” added Stuart Milne, Chief Technology Officer, Ori Biotech.