Cellares launches automated QC platform for cell therapy manufacturing
Cellares, a South San Francisco–based integrated development and manufacturing organization (IDMO), announced multiple technology partnerships to support the launch of Cell Q, its fully automated quality control (QC) testing platform designed for cell therapy manufacturing.
The modular system is built to replace traditional manual QC testing, which the company said cannot keep pace with the demands of commercial-scale cell therapy production. A single Cell Q unit can support automated QC release testing of up to 6,000 batches per year. The platform integrates automation across sample preparation, thawing, system verification, assay preparation, and execution of vector copy number quantification, while providing real-time data reporting and GMP-ready compliance features.
Cellares developed Cell Q in collaboration with several technology partners. Tecan supplied liquid handling systems, Advanced Instruments contributed its Artel portfolio for calibration and verification, Cytek Biosciences optimized automated flow cytometry workflows, Slingshot Biosciences provided synthetic controls for reproducibility, and AltemisLab integrated pre-barcoded cryovials and automated thawing for traceability.
“Cell Q was built to match the commercial manufacturing throughput of the Cell Shuttle, with fewer handoffs, less failure, and more importantly, better data quality,” Cellares CEO and co-founder Fabian Gerlinghaus said in a statement.
The company will present drug product release data and case studies on Cell Q at the 10th Annual CAR-TCR Summit on Sept. 25.