Bristol Myers Squibb & Cellares Announces Agreement for CAR T Cell Therapies Manufacturing

Bristol Myers Squibb, Cellares announce a $380 mn worldwide capacity reservation and supply agreement for manufacture of CAR T cell therapies

Overview

Bristol Myers Squibb and Cellares, the first Integrated Development and Manufacturing Organization (IDMO) dedicated to clinical and industrial-scale cell therapy manufacturing, announced a worldwide capacity reservation and supply agreement for the manufacture of CAR T cell therapies in a transaction valued up to $380 million in upfront and milestone payments.

Terms of Agreement

As part of the agreement, Cellares will optimize, automate, and tech-transfer select Bristol Myers Squibb CAR T cell therapies onto its automated and high-throughput manufacturing platform, the Cell Shuttle.
Cellares will dedicate multiple Cell Shuttle and Cell Q systems with fully automated, high-throughput quality control for Bristol Myers Squibb’s exclusive use.
The Cell Shuttles and Cell Qs will be deployed in Cellares’ Smart Factories in the US, EU, and Japan.

Cell Therapies Manufacturing

Manufacturing cell therapies is both operationally and technically complex.
Because cell therapies are rapidly transforming the way many different diseases are treated, the demand for these treatments is increasing significantly.
This collaboration enables Bristol Myers Squibb to expand its manufacturing capacity, meeting the growing demand for its diverse range of cell therapies through a platform that is scalable and has the potential to improve turnaround time, bringing the promise of cell therapies to more patients faster.

Words from Bristol Myers Squibb

“The agreement with Cellares is our latest step forward in support of our comprehensive strategy to unlock the full potential of CAR T therapy to deliver transformative treatments to as many patients as possible, as quickly as possible,” said Lynelle B. Hoch, president, Cell Therapy Organization, Bristol Myers Squibb.
“Our collaboration with Cellares strengthens our existing internal manufacturing capabilities for CAR T cell therapies by giving us access to the first end-to-end fully automated cell therapy manufacturing platform, to help ensure we meet the high demand for these differentiated treatments, now and in the future.”

Extension of Previous Agreement

This agreement expands upon the existing collaborations between Bristol Myers Squibb and Cellares.
In August 2023, Bristol Myers Squibb participated in Cellares’ Series C financing to launch the first IDMO Smart Factory in an effort to meet the demand for cell therapies globally.
That same month, Bristol Myers Squibb joined Cellares’ Technology Adoption Partnership (TAP) Program to evaluate the Cell Shuttle’s automated manufacturing capabilities.

Words from CEO: Cellares

“This agreement with Bristol Myers Squibb is aligned with our strategy of establishing a global network of high-throughput, automated Smart Factories to meet the growing and worldwide demand for cell therapies,” said Fabian Gerlinghaus, CEO and co-founder of Cellares.
“We look forward to demonstrating how our innovative technology’s emphasis on standardization will accelerate commercial-scale manufacturing and worldwide deployment. Our collaboration with Bristol Myers Squibb and our collective expertise furthers our mission to accelerate access to life-saving cell therapies for patients globally.""