Univercells launches new CDMO for cell and gene therapy sector

The company’s new CDMO, Exothera, has been created to help the cell and gene therapy sector increase its capacity, and also boost its bioprocessing expertise. The CDMO will create bespoke bioproduction support programmes for manufacturers to achieve successful market entry through a combination of bioprocessing experience and best-in-class technologies.

Univercells’ manufacturing platforms will be utilised to achieve cost-effective viral vector processes with the option of implementing commercial facilities at the customer site if desired. The CDMO aims to use a holistic approach to rapidly deliver scalable bioproduction processes and help get new therapies to market faster and with reduced costs.

Exothera will be based at the company’s Jumet site in Belgium, which will be revamped to accommodate new facilities, including laboratories, cleanrooms, and GMP qualified manufacturing areas for clinical and commercial production.

The flexible GMP areas at Jumet will contain Exothera’s CDMO activities and ongoing Univercells vaccine development and manufacturing initiatives, with capacity for rapid response programmes. On the rapid response front, the company is currently pursuing support opportunities for Covid-19 vaccine innovators, drawing on vast capability and know-how in expediting successful vaccine manufacturing programmes.

“This new focus will enable our team to leverage expertise with innovation to overcome the industry’s production constraints and foster the success of cell and gene therapies”, declares Hugues Bultot, CEO of Univercells and Exothera.“We strongly believe that Exothera will make a difference in the manufacturing of these advanced and critically needed therapies, ultimately unlocking their potential to improve patients’ lives.”