Goodwin Biotechnology, Inc., a biologics contract manufacturer, has partnered with Q Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical‐stage biopharmaceutical company of cellular therapies for central nervous system diseases, to provide GMP antibodies for manufacture of clinical-trial materials. Goodwin Biotechnology completed process development, scale-up, and cGMP manufacturing of an IgM antibody and an IgM-ligand conjugate used in the isolation of Q‐Cells, a patented cellular therapeutic product candidate from Q Therapeutics. The therapy is under development for treating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

Q‐Cells are glial‐restricted progenitor cells, early descendants of neural stem cells that produce only “glia,” which make up 50% of cells in the brain and are essential for supporting, maintaining, and restoring neuron health, according to information from Goodwin Biotechnology. Q Therapeutics selected ALS as the first clinical indication for Q‐Cells based on a combination of the large unmet medical need and scientific rationale supporting the multiple pathways by which healthy glial cells are believed to protect and preserve the function of motor neurons.  

Source: Goodwin Biotechnology