TxCell SA, a Valbonne, France-based biotechnology company developing personalized cellular immunotherapies, has launched its new process industrialization laboratories and technology transfer academy facilities in Sophia Antipolis, France.

These new facilities will be primarily dedicated to the improvement of the existing TxCell manufacturing process for its ASTrIA platform as well as to the development of a manufacturing process for its new ENTrIA platform. ASTrIA (Antigen Specific Treg for Inflammation and Autoimmunity) is a TxCell proprietary cellular immunotherapy product platform composed of autologous antigen specific Type 1 regulatory T cells (Ag-Treg). Ag-Treg based products from the ASTrIA platform are produced from the peripheral blood of patients. After white blood cell isolation, CD4+ T cells are educated to recognize a specific antigen. Antigen educated Treg cells are then isolated and expanded ex-vivo. ENTrIA (Engineered Treg for Inflammation and Autoimmunity) is the second TxCell proprietary cellular immunotherapy product platform and is composed of chimeric antigen receptor engineered Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (CAR-Treg). After their isolation from the blood of patients, Foxp3+ Treg cells are genetically modified by transduction with chimeric antigen receptors (CAR). The CAR introduced into FoxP3+ Treg cells is designed to allow Foxp3+ Treg cell activation and immuno-modulation through in vivo recognition of a protein present in inflamed areas in patients suffering from autoimmune and chronic inflammatory diseases.

The new facilities and new developments will be primarily achieved by combining the integration into the manufacturing process of findings from TxCell research with industry advancements in the life science and technology industries. The outcome will be an increase in automation and economic efficiencies as well as a shortening of the manufacturing process of all TxCell products across all of its platforms.

The facilities will also host the TxCell Academy for Technology Transfer. The academy will be responsible for educating and training all contract manufacturing partners (CMOs, including MaSTherCell). In addition, the academy will train future strategic partners (licensed and/or co-developing pharmaceutical companies) on the manufacturing processes of TxCell's personalized cellular therapies. This will have the aim of facilitating and accelerating all transfer of TxCell technologies to third parties. These new facilities will be based in Sophia Antipolis, in the premises of GenBiotech, an affiliate company of the Genevrier Laboratories.

Source; TxCell