Ori Biotech, AdAlta, Cell Therapies team on automated cell therapy platform

AdAlta, a Melbourne, Australia-based biotechnology company, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Ori Biotech, headquartered in London, and Cell Therapies to deploy Ori Biotech’s automated IRO cell therapy manufacturing platform across the  Asia-Pacific region.

According to the announcement, the collaboration aims to address key manufacturing challenges in CAR-T and other cell therapies, including high costs, limited scalability and inconsistent production outcomes. Ori’s IRO platform is reportedly designed to automate and standardize critical steps in cell therapy manufacturing, with targets of 10-50x higher throughput, shorter production timelines, and potential cost reductions of 30-50%.

The companies said the platform will be deployed at Cell Therapies for process development and clinical manufacturing, while also supporting optimization of AdAlta’s manufacturing processes to improve scalability and reduce costs. The agreement also seeks to expand manufacturing capacity for additional developers across preclinical, clinical, and commercial programs.

AdAlta said the collaboration supports its strategy to deliver scalable and cost-effective cell therapies for solid tumors to global markets, including programs that may benefit from more advanced manufacturing capabilities.

Ori’s IRO platform has been used in multiple manufacturing processes and has received an Advanced Manufacturing Technology designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which is intended to support adoption of technologies that improve manufacturing reliability and scalability.

The agreement builds on Ori Biotech’s broader efforts to expand adoption of automated manufacturing. Late last year, the company announced a collaboration with Seattle Children’s Research Institute to evaluate the IRO platform’s ability to improve scalability and consistency in cell and gene therapy development.