Christi Shaw, Former CEO of Kite, a Gilead Company, Appointed to Cellares Advisory Board to Advance Cell Therapy Manufacturing

March 26, 2024 at 07:00 AM EDT

Shaw's global leadership of manufacturing, R&D and commercialization of advanced therapies to support Cellares in meeting global demand for life-saving cell therapies

Cellares, a leader in the automation of cell therapy manufacturing and the world’s first Integrated Development and Manufacturing Organization (IDMO), today announced the addition of Christi Shaw to its Advisory Board. Ms. Shaw is a life sciences leader and advocate for patients with more than 30 years of pharmaceutical industry experience across a broad range of therapeutic areas. She formerly served as Chief Executive Officer of Kite, a Gilead Company, where she led a global team dedicated exclusively to the research, commercialization, and manufacturing of cell therapy. Under her leadership, Kite became a global leader in providing potentially curative cell therapies with multiple approved blood cancer indications in over 20 countries and led the company from treating a few hundred patients to thousands worldwide. Before Kite, she held senior executive positions at Lilly, Novartis, and Johnson & Johnson.

Fabian Gerlinghaus, CEO of Cellares said of Shaw’s appointment, "Christi brings an invaluable perspective to our Advisory Board with extensive experience, proven track record of commercializing cell therapies, and a sense of urgency for cancer patient advocacy, which aligns with our mission to accelerate access to life-saving cell therapies for patients at a global scale."

In response to her new role, Ms. Shaw stated, "Joining Cellares' Advisory Board presents an exciting opportunity to contribute to the expansion and advancement of cell therapy manufacturing. My previous experiences reinforced the critical need for innovation in how we produce these life-saving therapies. I look forward to working with Cellares to address these challenges, with the ultimate goal of improving patient access to cell therapies."

Shaw’s strategic leadership at Kite Pharma resulted in achieving regulatory approval and subsequent commercialization of both Yescarta and Tecartus. Her expertise will be pivotal in accelerating the adoption of Cellares' IDMO Smart Factories, which are capable of producing 10 times as many cell therapies as conventional CDMO facilities with the same manufacturing footprint and the same workforce. This kind of scalability is crucial for reducing the manufacturing constraints experienced by conventional CDMOs, thereby increasing the availability of cell therapies to patients.

Shaw's journey as a caregiver for her sister, who battled multiple myeloma, brings an intimate understanding of the patient experience. This personal connection to patient care has profoundly influenced her leadership, instilling a focus on simplifying the patient journey and ensuring that every decision considers the patient's perspective.

Shaw's role at Cellares will leverage her comprehensive expertise in cell therapy, her strategic vision for global expansion, and her deeply personal commitment to patient care. By focusing on innovation, accessibility, and the patient journey, Shaw is set to play a crucial role in Cellares' efforts to meet global patient needs, driving forward the commercialization of the Cell Shuttle and potentially setting new standards for the delivery of cell therapies worldwide.

About Cellares

Cellares is the first Integrated Development and Manufacturing Organization (IDMO) and takes an Industry 4.0 approach to mass manufacturing the living drugs of the 21st century. The company is both developing and operating integrated technologies for cell therapy manufacturing to accelerate access to life-saving cell therapies. The company’s Cell Shuttle integrates all the technologies required for the entire manufacturing process in a flexible and high-throughput platform that delivers true walk-away, end-to-end automation. Cell Shuttles will be deployed in Cellares’ Smart Factories worldwide to meet total patient demand for cell therapies at global scale; with the capability to manufacture 10 times as many doses as a conventional CDMO, with the same facility footprint, while reducing required headcount by 90%. Partnering with Cellares enables academics, biotechs, and pharma companies to accelerate drug development and scale out manufacturing, lower process failure rates, lower manufacturing costs, and meet global patient demand.

The company is headquartered in South San Francisco, California with its commercial-scale IDMO Smart Factory in Bridgewater, New Jersey. The company is backed by world-class investors and has raised over $355 million in financing.

For more information about Cellares, please visit cellares.com.