[News] CellFiber and Mie University collaborate to advance CAR-T cell Therapies

Co-research | 2022-07-19

---

Tokyo, Japan – July 19th – CellFiber Co., Ltd., a biotech company providing plug-and-play biomanufacturing solutions with its unique cell culture platform technology, announced today a research collaboration with Professor Hiroshi Shiku a member of the Department of Personalized Cancer Immunotherapy Center for Comprehensive Cancer Immunotherapy at Mie University.

Collaboration:

CellFiber’s proprietary technology has been demonstrated to be an excellent option for CAR-T cell expansion.  Importantly, the cell culture method does not affect cell surface antigen expression. The collaboration between CellFiber and Professor Shiku will focus on CellFiber’s culture system in relation to the functional properties of the cultured cells. In addition, the collaboration will further optimize the cell culture and harvest methods.

Personalized CAR-T Cell Therapy:

　

1. Collect blood from the patient

2. Isolate T cells and reprogram the T-cells with the Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) gene.

3. Expansion of CAR-T cells (CellFiber)

4. Infusion of therapeutic CAR T cells

5. CAR-T cells attack and eliminate targeted cancer cells

 

Our immune system continuously monitors and removes threats of pathogens such as bacteria and viruses and surveys our body for abnormal cells such as cancer cells. White blood cells play a key role in the immune system and especially T-cells play a significant role in removing abnormal cells like cancer cells. Unfortunately, some cancer cells can evade the immune system and shield itself from attack. CAR-T Cell Therapy is especially designed to attack such, immune system evading, cancer cells.  To create this therapy, a patient’s T cells are harvested and outfitted with a gene for a receptor called a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) and reinfused into the patient to attack the tumor.  It is critical to reinfuse a sufficient number of CAR T cell and therefore it is critical to expand the CAR T cells.  CellFiber’s hollow fiber cell culture technology is uniquely positioned to solve this current gap in expansion technology required for successful commercialization of personalized CAR T cell therapies.  CellFiber’s next-generation cell culture approach will help solve the biggest challenge; reduce cost and increase access.

Technology:

CellFiber’s cell culture technology consists of specialized equipment that generates fibers that are hollow, porous, and uniform microtubes, approximately 0.3 millimeter in diameter, which encapsulate CAR T cells and allow for high-density cell culture. The outer layer of the fiber, protects cells from shear stress and prevents aggregation. As a result, the technology maintains healthy cell growth longer than conventional methods such as adherent or suspension cultures in bioreactors. Nutrients, metabolites, and secreted molecules can freely exchange through the gel tube wall and maintain healthy living cells within the hollow fiber. CellFiber’s technology is an efficient platform technology for bio-production of high-quality cells at high density at reduced cost.

CellFiber Co., Ltd.:                                                                                                               

CellFiber is a biotech company spinout of the University of Tokyo with a unique cell culturing technology that can enable dramatic cost reductions in cell production. The platform technology, CellFiber™, enables higher yields and product quality and ensures stability, predictability, reproducibility, and scalability of cells for cell and gene therapy applications.