The deal will see Miltenyi work with the UK drug firm on a cell and gene therapy R&D platform.
The German tech firm’s specific role will be to help GSK automate and improve the scalability of the system’s manufacturing processes.
According to GSK the overall goal is to further industrialise cell and gene therapy, overcoming the manufacturing and scale-up constraints associated with current, more manual cell and gene therapy processes.
Patrick Vallance, President Pharmaceuticals R&D at GSK, said while cell therapies have tremendous potential they are difficult to produce and distribute.
“Working with Miltenyi Biotec, our vision is to transform current technology so that we can expand the possibilities for cell and gene therapy treatment to wider patient populations with broader geographical reach.”
CAR-T
CAR (chimeric antigen-receptor) T-cell based therapeutics will be the main focus of the partnership.
The firms will collaborate on defined CAR-T oncology targets and on the development of advancements in technologies in this space that may be further applied by both companies.
Miltenyi beefed up its CAR-T offering in 2014 when it acquired Lentigen’s lentiviral vector manufacturing business and related assets.
Lentiviral technology provides for an efficient way to deliver genetic material into cells – including CAR-T cells - to modulate their function.
At the time Miltenyi told us: “Our goal is to become the major supplier of lentiviral vectors for cell and gene therapy, both for clinical research and at commercial scale.”
The Germany company also provides clients with all key reagents, media, buffers and plastic consumables.