Press Releases

MicrofluidX and Stemmatters partner on advancing automated 2D expansion of Mesenchymal Stem Cells for cell therapy

Increasing the consistency and scalability of MSC expansion whilst retaining functionality and reducing costs

Stevenage, UK and Braga, Portugal, October 26, 2022 — MicrofluidX (MFX), a UK-based provider of next-generation bioreactors for cell research and manufacturing, today announces a partnership with Stemmatters, a Portuguese CDMO with expertise on the manufacturing of cell therapies, including those based on Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs), to generate data on automation of MSC expansion in mono-layers.

The partnership will address the burning need for increasing repeatability, decreasing labour costs, and enabling scalability of MSCs for a wide range of therapeutic applications. Early trials (data available here) suggest that MSCs can be grown with much higher densities while keeping their fundamental properties (such as the ability to turn into different types of cells down the mesenchymal lineage) on the MicrofluidX platform.

“We are extremely excited about this partnership, because it opens a new era of automation of 2D cell culture for cell therapy, where most processes are currently manual,” said James Kusena, VP Bioprocessing & Applications at MicrofluidX.

With this project, customers of Stemmatters will eventually be able to rely on best-in-class bioprocessing automation for their cells, allowing faster time to market, more consistent product, and lower cost of goods.

“This platform addresses important manufacturing bottlenecks of adherent cells like MSCs, by enabling automation, increasing productivity and ultimately supporting much needed scalability of 2D culture operations. We are excited to partner with MicrofluidX and test their technology,” said Rui Sousa, Founder and CEO of Stemmatters.

About Stemmatters

Stemmatters is a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) operating in the manufacturing of regenerative medicine (RM) products such as cell therapies and cell-derived biologicals. The company addresses needs in product development and cGMP production, supporting the clinical translational and future commercialization of high-impact medicinal products.

Contact

MFX
Lindsey Clarke
Email: lindsey.clarke@microfluidx.co.uk
Tel: +44 7866 467544

Stemmatters
Pedro Costa
Email: pmcosta@stemmatters.com
Tel: +351-253-165 230