Allison Hoffman, global product manager, Cell Therapy Technologies, Terumo BCT, discusses how automation is leading the way to optimising autologous manufacturing in the C> sector.
Key insights:
- To reach more patients cost-effectively, the industry needs better methods for scale-out and the ability to run parallel batches that can be processed with fewer labour hours and other resources.
- Automated data acquisition and reporting allows careful monitoring and recording of what the system is doing and serves to optimise the process as operators acquire and analyse more of the data generated.
- Each autologous manufacturing line is specific to each patient, it requires parallel processing of multiple patient lots simultaneously which can hinder developing economies of scale in production.
As the autologous cell and gene therapy industry continues to grow, it must face the challenge of creating products that are safe and effective, but also affordable to both patients and payers. Currently, the prices for approved autologous products ($0.4–$2 million) are restricting access for many patients.