Torque, an immuno-oncology company, and Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., have entered a collaboration to build a dedicated Slipstream manufacturing facility for high-efficiency production of Torque’s Deep-Primed T cell immunotherapies. 
 
Buildout of the Torque/Thermo Fisher manufacturing facility has begun, and the companies anticipate processing patient cells by the end of 2019. The Slipstream platform will initially be used in the clinical development of Torque’s lead Deep-Primed T cell candidate, TRQ-1501, in solid and hematologic tumors; followed by TRQ-1201, also for solid and hematologic tumors.
 
“Torque’s cell manufacturing technology platform is critical to achieving our goal of developing and commercializing a new class of cellular immunotherapy for cancer patients with both early and advanced disease,” said Bart Henderson, chief executive officer of Torque. “We are very excited about partnering with Thermo Fisher to build this state-of-the-art manufacturing facility because of their vision and exceptional track record in building high-efficiency, globally integrated operations. This is a pioneering manufacturing partnership with the goal of dramatically improving the efficiency and scalability of producing best-in-class cellular immunotherapy products that have the potential to benefit a significant number of cancer patients.”
 
“Thermo Fisher is dedicated to advancing precision medicine, and our collaboration with Torque is a tangible example of the progress we are making to become a recognized leader in cell therapy manufacturing,” said Michel Lagarde, president of Pharma Services for Thermo Fisher Scientific. “We are pleased to partner with Torque to build and launch this unique and advanced manufacturing facility utilizing the Slipstream technology, Torque’s innovative cellular immunotherapy product, which has the potential to transform cancer treatment and patients’ lives.” 
 
The Slipstream platform technology in Princeton is a new design that uses a fully closed, semi-automated system that surpasses conventional cell therapy manufacturing techniques. The Slipstream process leverages advanced logistics that enable a substantially smaller manufacturing footprint that is less capital- and labor-intensive. Production capacity can be expanded modularly by adding arrays in Lego-like fashion.