For the first time, the prestigious US advanced therapy manufacturing company Scale Ready has selected a Latin American institution for its G-Rex Scholarship Program, which seeks to support research and commercial centers working in preclinical research, process development, or cell and gene therapy manufacturing.
This recognition will allow IMPACT to access cutting-edge devices, reagents, and operational expertise to implement a G-Rex®-based cell manufacturing platform. This will accelerate the development of gene and cell therapies, as well as optimize existing processes to improve efficiency and reduce manufacturing costs under good manufacturing practice standards.
Specifically, G-Rex®’s contribution will be used by the national center in IMPACT’s chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy research program during the parameter optimization stages and subsequently in preclinical studies of antitumor activity, moving toward preclinical studies led by Soledad Mac-Keon, a postdoctoral researcher in the same group. The resulting data will lay the foundation for the design of a proof-of-concept study in patients.
This recognition reflects our commitment to the development of disruptive technologies in cell and gene therapy. Beyond technical transfer, our goal is to ensure that patients in Chile have access to advanced therapies, ensuring equal opportunities for all. This step brings us closer to our mission of transforming global health, always with the patient at the center,” said Dr. Maroun Khoury, principal investigator of the proposal and director of IMPACT.
“ScaleReady is excited to support IMPACT with a G-Rex® grant to implement an efficient and cost-effective CAR-T manufacturing process. We look forward to collaborating with IMPACT to expand access to CAR-T treatments for patients in Chile,” said John Wilson, CEO of Wilson Wolf Manufacturing Corporation and co-inventor of G-Rex®.
About the G-Rex® Grant Program
Launched by ScaleReady in collaboration with Wilson Wolf and CellReady, the program seeks to democratize access to advanced technologies, accelerating preclinical research, process development, and manufacturing under quality standards.
This initiative has awarded more than $20 million to advance the development and manufacturing of cell and gene therapies (CGT). G-Rex® grant recipients also gain access to exclusive support from the program’s growing consortium of partners, who offer world-class tools, technologies, and expertise in manufacturing, regulation, commercial operations, and more.
The G-Rex® manufacturing platform is currently used by a growing list of more than 800 organizations and is employed in the production of drugs for approximately 50% of CGT clinical trials, as well as for five commercially approved CGT therapies.
The grant will provide G-Rex® bioreactors and state-of-the-art closed-system adaptations to facilitate process development, as well as consulting from G-Rex® optimization specialists, simplifying efforts to meet regulatory requirements and optimize the clinical manufacturing of this innovative cell therapy. “IMPACT’s proposal also envisages that the knowledge and data generated through this collaboration will be shared with the scientific community, contributing to global advances in Cell and Gene Therapy manufacturing platforms,” explained Diego Castro, Project Manager at IMPACT.
CGT entities that rely on the breadth and scope of ScaleReady’s expertise can save years of time and millions of dollars on the road to CGT commercialization.
This collaboration agreement brings the introduction of CAR-T therapy in Chile closer, a crucial step in offering innovative solutions to patients.
What is CAR-T?
It is a treatment that uses the patient’s own cells to treat certain types of cancer, mainly hematological cancers. This therapy involves extracting T cells (immune system cells) from the patient and genetically modifying them. Once modified, they are transferred back into the patient’s body so that they can recognize, attack, and destroy cancer cells.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved several therapies to treat various types of cancer, such as certain types of B-cell lymphoma and some forms of leukemia and myeloma. Current scientific research aims to explore the potential of this treatment in other diseases.