Improved access to induced pluripotent stem cells for allogeneic cell therapy applications

Pluristyx, Inc., an advanced therapy tools and services biotechnology company, panCELLa, a privately held biotechnology company, and Implant Therapeutics, a developer of genetically engineered stem cells, today announced they have entered into a manufacturing and distribution strategic alliance that offers cell therapy companies streamlined access to the next generation of safe, universal, cost-effective, “off-the-shelf” induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). The agreement will enable commercial access to iPSCs containing panCELLa’s FailSafe™ and Implant’s hypoimmunogenic technology derived from fully consented and regulatory appropriate donors. Both research and clinical grade panCELLa-owned iPSC lines will be manufactured and distributed by Pluristyx, who will also make custom iPSC lines incorporating panCELLa and Implant technology to meet unique customer needs.

Dr. Mahendra Rao, Chief Executive Officer of Implant, commented, “We evaluated many manufacturing partners and concluded that Pluristyx’s proprietary platform and mRNA reprogramming technologies provided the ideal complement to our platform technologies. We think this combination of complementary skills will enable wide dissemination of our technology.”

“Pluristyx is excited to be working with panCELLa and Implant to commercialize their unique gene-edited platforms and iPSC lines. The combination of Pluristyx’s iPSC manufacturing and reprogramming technologies with panCELLa and Implant’s Stealth™ and FailSafe™ platforms will provide immediate access to a unique and ideal raw material for making the next generation of cell therapies,” said Dr. Benjamin Fryer, Chief Executive Officer of Pluristyx.

About Pluristyx

Established in 2018, Pluristyx, Inc. is a privately held biotechnology company offering consulting, wet-lab services, and pluripotent stem cell products to support novel therapeutic developers. Pluristyx helps industry and academic researchers solve manufacturing and analytical challenges in cryopreservation, drug development, regenerative medicine, and cell and gene therapy. The Pluristyx team has decades of experience supporting every stage of cell therapy product development, from cell banking to drug product manufacturing including analytical testing and release of clinical grade cell therapy products. To learn more, visit https://www.pluristyx.com.

About panCELLa

Co-founded in 2015 by Dr. Andras Nagy, PhD, stem cell biologist and Dr. Armand Keating, MD, PhD, clinical scientist and hematologist. panCELLa is a privately held early-stage biotechnology firm based on the innovative technology developed in Dr. Andras Nagy’s lab at the Sinai Health System (SHS). panCELLa has created platforms that allow for the development of safe, universal, cost-effective, “off-the-shelf” therapeutic cell products for medicine. panCELLa has secured partnerships with several biotechnology partners to enhance its patent position and provide expanded access to its exclusive FailSafe™ and Cloaked Cells™/iACT cells. panCELLa continues its internal R&D efforts to develop additional novel uses of its platform technologies in areas such as bio-production, cancer vaccination and tolerization. To learn more, visit https://pancella.com.

About Implant Therapeutics

Implant therapeutics is a subsidiary of panCELLa whose mission is to develop therapeutic products in the immunology, mesenchymal stem cell and pancreatic islet space and to partner with other companies to develop novel products in other areas of regenerative medicine. Implant Therapeutics, under the guidance of Dr. Mahendra Rao, is engineering iPSC-MSC and islets that incorporate failsafe, hypoimmunogenic and safe-harbor technologies. These iPSC MSC cells are hypoimmunogenic and are an ideal choice for bone, cartilage and tendon replacement strategies combining the advantages of allogeneic and autologous cells as well as allowing them to be used as ex-vivo gene therapy vehicles. To learn more, visit https://www.implant-rx.com.

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