GSK, Miltenyi Biotec forge cell and gene therapy alliance

The partnership will unite GSK’s cell and gene therapy based treatment developments with Miltenyi Biotec’s cell processing and related technologies.

The companies aim to identify new ways to manufacture and deliver cell and gene therapies using increased automation and advanced processing technology.

A cell and gene therapy R&D platform is currently being built by GSK to support the development of novel therapies in oncology and rare diseases.

Miltenyi Biotec will work with GSK in integrating greater automation and high-tech processing technology into the UK firm’s existing manufacturing capabilities, in order to further industrialize cell and gene therapy.

Plans also include addressing manufacturing and scale-up constraints related with current, more manual cell and gene therapy processes.

The collaboration also includes discovery program for CAR-T cell-based oncology therapies.

GSK president of pharmaceuticals R&D Patrick Vallance said: "We see tremendous potential for the cell and gene therapy platform we are building within GSK, however the complexity of current manufacturing processes limits their use to local treatment of small patient populations.

"Working with Miltenyi Biotec, our vision is to transform current technology so that we can expand the possibilities for cell and gene therapy treatment to wider patient populations with broader geographical reach."

Miltenyi Biotec’s products have been used in over 50,000 cell therapy procedures.