The firms said the platform is designed to address challenges in the large-scale, aseptic, cell therapy manufacturing space.
“Research, clinical studies and market supply in the emerging sector of cell therapy and regenerative medicine require large scale cell cultivation at a reasonable cost, while adhering to the highest quality and safety standards of various types of stem cell,” said Shibuya’s managing director Hidetoshi Shibuya.
Promethera spokesperson Alexandra Schiettekatte told us the firms will “face these challenges together from a manufacturing and technical perspective to maximise the commercialisation of Promethera’s liver cell-based therapy.”
Platform development
The firms have started implementing the technology at Promethera’s Belgian site, in a process likely to take a year according to Schiettekatte.
“Our premises in Gosselies [Beligum] is ready to go, subject to further improvement and equipment,” she said.
Once set up, the platform can be reproduced elsewhere, including in the US and Japan.
Schiettekatte told us the firms do not currently plan on licensing out the technology.
“Both firms will first create a competitive edge in their field for their own purposes before contemplating other options,” she told us.
The firms did not disclose the financial terms of the deal.