BMS and Cellares Enter $380m CAR T Cell Therapy Capacity & Supply Deal
Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) announced on Monday it has entered a worldwide capacity reservation and supply agreement with the California-headquartered Integrated Development and Manufacturing Organization (IDMO), Cellares, for CAR T-cell therapy manufacturing. BMS plans to utilise Cellares’ proprietary Cell Shuttle, a next-gen end-to-end, fully automated cell therapy manufacturing platform, for the clinical and commercial-scale manufacturing of select CAR T cell therapies.
In the agreement valued at up to $380M, in upfront and milestone payments, Cellares will optimise, automate, and tech-transfer selected Bristol Myers Squibb CAR T cell therapies onto its automated and high-throughput manufacturing platform, the Cell Shuttle™. Cellares will dedicate multiple Cell Shuttle and Cell Q™ systems with fully automated, high-throughput quality control for Bristol Myers Squibb’s exclusive use. The Cell Shuttles and Cell Qs will be deployed in Cellares’ Smart Factories in the U.S., EU, and Japan.
Manufacturing cell therapies involves complex operational and technical processes. As cell therapies revolutionise the treatment landscape for various diseases, the demand for these innovative treatments is on the rise. This partnership allows Bristol Myers Squibb to enhance its manufacturing capabilities, addressing the surging demand for its wide array of cell therapies. Utilising a scalable platform, this collaboration has the potential to streamline turnaround times, accelerating the delivery of cell therapies to a broader patient population, thus realising their benefits more swiftly.
Lynelle B. Hoch, president, Cell Therapy Organization, Bristol Myers Squibb stated:
“The agreement with Cellares is our latest step forward in support of our comprehensive strategy to unlock the full potential of CAR T therapy to deliver transformative treatments to as many patients as possible, as quickly as possible. Our collaboration with Cellares strengthens our existing internal manufacturing capabilities for CAR T cell therapies by giving us access to the first end-to-end fully automated cell therapy manufacturing platform, to help ensure we meet the high demand for these differentiated treatments, now and in the future.”
This agreement builds upon the existing collaborations between Bristol Myers Squibb and Cellares. In August 2023, Bristol Myers Squibb participated in Cellares’ Series C financing to launch the first IDMO Smart Factory in an effort to meet the demand for cell therapies globally. That same month, Bristol Myers Squibb joined Cellares’ Technology Adoption Partnership (TAP) Program to evaluate the Cell Shuttle’s automated manufacturing capabilities.
Fabian Gerlinghaus, CEO and co-founder of Cellares said:
“This agreement with Bristol Myers Squibb is aligned with our strategy of establishing a global network of high-throughput, automated Smart Factories to meet the growing and worldwide demand for cell therapies. We look forward to demonstrating how our innovative technology’s emphasis on standardization will accelerate commercial-scale manufacturing and worldwide deployment. Our collaboration with Bristol Myers Squibb and our collective expertise furthers our mission to accelerate access to life-saving cell therapies for patients globally.”
For more information about Bristol Myers Squibb, please visit BMS.com and for more information about Cellares, please visit cellares.com.
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