Cellares Partners with University of Wisconsin to Automate CAR-T Therapy Manufacturing

• Cellares has formed a collaboration with the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health to automate the manufacturing of a CRISPR-edited GD2 CAR-T investigational therapy.

• The partnership leverages Cellares’ Cell Shuttle platform to streamline early-stage cell therapy production, reduce costs, and enable clinical-scale output.

Cellares, an Integrated Development and Manufacturing Organization (IDMO), has entered into a strategic collaboration with the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. The aim is to automate the manufacturing of a CRISPR-edited GD2 CAR-T investigational therapy.

The partnership uses the Cell Shuttle™, an automated manufacturing platform developed by Cellares. It allows academic and early-phase biotechnology developers to scale cell therapy manufacturing with up to 50% lower batch prices compared to traditional CDMOs. The platform also supports a smoother progression from clinical development to commercial-scale production, reducing the need for multiple technology transfers.

By enabling simultaneous manufacturing of multiple cell therapies, the Cell Shuttle helps overcome capacity bottlenecks that often slow progress. This collaboration is intended to speed the transition from lab-based proof-of-concept to investigational clinical therapy for patients with solid tumours.

“By collaborating with researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison on their CRISPR-edited GD2 CAR-T product, we remove the manufacturing barriers that can hinder promising research,” said Fabian Gerlinghaus, Co-founder and CEO of Cellares.