Modernizing Therapeutic Cell Production

Cell and gene therapies are dominating the world of drug development. With the promise of significant breakthroughs in treatment of diabetes, cancer, and congenital conditions, it is no wonder that research and development is predicted to reach $232.5 billion by 2026, up from $186 billion in 2019, according to the Evaluate Pharma report.

With so much at stake, attention is now shifting to adopting more modern equipment and methods to consistently produce the best cells. At the core of this trend is replacing outdated legacy manufacturing techniques where cells are exposed to air, even if meticulously filtered air, and the negative consequences of that. It is a simple sounding concept.

Since the beginning, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) have been based on the use of cleanrooms and isolators. However, the industry is moving toward superior alternatives that accomplish what any air environment cannot: better protection of cells from both microbial contamination and chemical toxicity, and better control of the universal critical cell process parameters—temperature, CO2 and O2. The key is closure, another simple sounding concept.