December 2019

CEVEC and CellGenix announce the launch of GMP-grade TGF-ß1 for cell and gene therapy applications

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  • CEVEC’s CAP®Go technology enables CellGenix to offer rh TGF-ß1 in preclinical and now also in GMP-grade quality, allowing a seamless transition from preclinical to clinical development and commercial manufacturing of cell therapy products
  • With the introduction of GMP rh TGF-ß1, CellGenix further expands one of the broadest portfolios of GMP cytokines and growth factors for the cell and gene therapy industry
  • CEVEC’s CAP®Go technology allows access to GMP-grade cytokines such as TGF-ß1 requiring human post-translational modifications which are not possible by using bacterial expression systems
  • Successful launch further proves the robustness and efficiency of CEVEC’s CAP®Go technology for the production of complex glycoproteins

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Cologne, Germany, December 19, 2019

CEVEC Pharmaceuticals GmbH (CEVEC), the expert in tailor-made recombinant glycoproteins and gene therapy vectors,  today announced that the Company’s cooperation partner CellGenix GmbH, a leading global supplier of GMP raw materials for cell and gene therapy and regenerative medicine, has launched CellGenix® GMP rh TGF-ß1 for cell and gene therapy applications based on CEVEC’s proprietary CAP®Go technology.

CellGenix® GMP rh TGF-ß1 is the third product resulting from an ongoing cooperation between CEVEC and CellGenix, which was established for the development and GMP production of selected cytokines using CEVEC’s proprietary expression technology CAP®Go. Other products include CellGenix® rh HGF and CellGenix® preclinical rh TGF-ß1. With the availability of TGF-ß1 in both, preclinical and GMP grade, CellGenix’ portfolio of growth factors now covers the entire value chain allowing a seamless transition from preclinical to clinical development and commercial manufacturing of cell therapy products.

“We are very happy to see our successful cooperation with CellGenix resulting in the next product derived from our CAP®Go expression platform,” said Dr. Nicole Faust, CEO & CSO of CEVEC. “With more and more advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) in late stage clinical development, we are experiencing an increasing demand for GMP-grade raw materials. We are convinced that our CAP®Go expression platform based on thoroughly documented suspension CAP cell lines is the technology of choice for manufacturing these important reagents.”

We are very pleased with the successful and supportive cooperation with CEVEC. CellGenix® GMP rh TGF-ß1 is the first GMP protein produced by CellGenix using CEVEC’s CAP®Go expression system,” commented Felicia Rosenthal, Chief Executive Officer of CellGenix. “CEVEC’s CAP®Go technology offers us an extensively characterized and animal-derived component-free expression platform that is safe and meets global regulatory standards. The collaboration with CEVEC allows us to further expand and strengthen CellGenix cytokines and growth factors product portfolio and thereby our position as raw material supplier for the cell and gene therapy space.”

TGF-ß1 – A highly potent advanced therapies medical product in cell-based treatments

Transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1) is a cytokine that promotes the growth of induced pluripotent stem cells, embryonic stem cells as well as mesenchymal stem cells used in cell therapy applications. In addition, TGF-ß1 plays an important role in the differentiation of T cells into regulatory T cells (Tregs) and the expansion of these cells. Tregs are a specialized subpopulation of T cells that act to suppress immune responses, thereby maintaining homeostasis and self-tolerance. It has been shown that Tregs are able to inhibit T cell proliferation and cytokine production and therewith could play a critical role in the treatment of inflammatory diseases including autoimmune diseases.

CEVEC’s CAP®Go expression platform allows for the efficient recombinant GMP manufacturing of glycoproteins with authentic human post-translational modifications

The proper glycosylation of proteins such as TGF-ß1 is crucial for the functionality and efficacy of these molecules and can significantly improve physicochemical and pharmacological properties. Glycosylation capabilities are therefore a decisive factor when it comes to choosing the optimal cell lines for the production of these highly complex and difficult to express proteins. CEVEC’s CAP®Go expression platform comprises a comprehensive portfolio of glyco-optimized human suspension cell lines that differ in their glycosylation capabilities and allow for the scalable recombinant manufacturing of a variety of ATMPs used for cell-based treatments.

The development history of CAP®Go cell lines is fully known and thoroughly documented to provide full traceability. The CAP cells are grown in serum-free and animal component-free (ACF) medium which makes them a suitable cell substrate for GMP cell and gene therapy raw materials. CEVEC’s GMP-manufactured CAP® Master Cell Bank has been tested according to ICH Guidelines and WHO Recommendations for cell substrates. In addition, a Biologics Master File for CAP Technology (BB-MF) has been submitted to U.S. FDA and is referenceable for CAP® Technology Licensees, simplifying regulatory approval process for a CAP®-derived product.

About CellGenix:
CellGenix is a leading manufacturer and developer of premium-grade reagents for clinical cell culture needs. The company has more than two decades of in-house expertise in GMP manufacturing and development of products in the field of cell and gene therapy and regenerative medicine. The superior quality GMP raw materials are used by leading experts and are proven in clinical trials and commercial manufacturing throughout the world. CellGenix is headquartered in Freiburg, Germany and operates a subsidiary in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, USA, serving the North American market.

For more information, please visit www.cellgenix.com.
Follow CellGenix on LinkedIn.

About CEVEC:

CEVEC is a center of expertise for the production of biopharmaceuticals using a unique human cell-based expression system.

CAP®Go enables the production of high-end biologics. Complex, glycosylated proteins represent a significant portion of the human proteome and are notoriously difficult to express in conventional cell lines such as CHO. The CAP®Go expression platform comprises a portfolio of glyco-optimized human suspension cell lines for the highly efficient production of a broad range of difficult to express recombinant proteins with authentic human or designed post-translational modifications, including plasma proteins, blood coagulation factors and complex cytokines and growth factors.

CAP®GT is a fully scalable manufacturing platform for viral vector production. CEVEC has successfully developed CAP®GT suspension cell-derived viral packaging cell lines, including a stable, helper virus-free AAV production platform, which enable better scale-up and competitive production costs when compared to adherent cell culture systems. CAP®GT suspension cell lines grow to high cell densities and show excellent productivity for a broad range of viruses. Gene therapy vectors such as lentiviral, adenoviral, and adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors can be produced at industrial scale.

For more information, please visit www.cevec.com
Follow CEVEC on LinkedIn and on Twitter

Contact:

CellGenix GmbH
Prof. Dr. Felicia M. Rosenthal
Chief Executive Officer
P.: +49 761 88889100
E.: publicrelations@cellgenix.com

CEVEC Pharmaceuticals GmbH
Dr. Nicole Faust
CEO & CSO
T.:+49 221 46020800
E.: info@cevec.com

MC Services AG
Dr. Solveigh Mähler
Public Relations
T.: +49 211 52925219
E.: solveigh.maehler@mc-services.eu

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October 2019

CellGenix Appoints Dr. Till Puschmann as Vice President R&D & Business Development and Member of the Management Team

CellGenix, a global manufacturing leader of GMP-grade raw materials for cell therapy, gene therapy and tissue-engineered products, is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Till Puschmann as Vice President of R&D and Business Development and member of the management team.

Till joined CellGenix in 2018 as Business Development & Senior Project Manager. As Vice President R&D and Business Development, Till will now be responsible for the development of CellGenix’ product portfolio and broadening of the pipeline. He also still acts as Senior Project Manager steering and supporting interdepartmental projects.

Read full press release

May 2019

CellGenix celebrates 25th Anniversary

25th Anniversary as a leading manufacturer of high quality raw materials for clinical cell culture needs

As we celebrate our twenty-fifth year in business, all of us at CellGenix would like to express our sincerest appreciation to our valued customers, partners and collaborators. We thank you for your loyal support through the years.

CellGenix was founded as a spin-off of the Freiburg University Medical Center and became the first European company to obtain a GMP manufacturing authorization for processing cells for therapeutic applications. Over the years, CellGenix has pivoted its business from a cell therapy product company to a developer and manufacturer of high quality raw materials for further manufacturing of cell and gene therapies. Today CellGenix’ products are used by leading experts and are proven in clinical trials with a broad range of cell types and indications as well as commercial manufacturing throughout the world.

“Over the last two and a half decades we have seen a lot of great achievements in the cell and gene therapy space. We are excited that we have been able to make a small contribution to the growth and progress in this field that is advancing medicine and helping patients worldwide.” says Prof. Dr. Felicia Rosenthal, CEO and one of the co-founders of CellGenix.

Looking ahead, Dr. Rosenthal adds “as the field continues to advance quickly, we are significantly investing in capacity expansion, process development and leading-edge manufacturing technologies. This helps us to continue meeting the increasing customer demands for GMP-grade raw materials as more and more promising cell and gene therapies approach market authorization and commercialization.”

January 2019

New ISO Standard released for AMs

With the participation of CellGenix a new International Technical Standard was released by the International Organization of Standardization (ISO) providing guidance for ancillary material (AM) suppliers to maintain a high level of lot-to-lot consitency in the aspects of indentity, purity, stability, biosafety, performance, as well as the accompanying documentation.

ISO TS 20399 | Ancillary materials present during the production of cellular therapeutic products

We very much appreciate this new guideline as it will help to clearify and thus simplify the requirements for ancillary materials.

January 2018

Press Release CellGenix – January

CellGenix Logo

CEVEC and CellGenix cooperation leads to expansion of CellGenix cytokine portfolio with CAP®GO Technology-derived TGF-β1 for ex vivo cell culture

  • This portfolio expansion is the result of an ongoing collaboration and license agreement between CEVEC and CellGenix for the development and GMP production of selected cytokines for ex vivo cell culture therapy applications using CEVEC’s proprietary CAP®GO technology
  • CEVEC’s CAP®GO technology enables CellGenix access to new cytokines and proteins requiring human post-translational modifications not provided by bacterial expression systems
  • CellGenix® recombinant human transforming growth factor-beta 1 (rh TGF-β1) is used for the expansion of pluripotent stem cells (PSC) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) as well as for the differentiation of T cells into regulatory T cells (Treg cells) and the expansion of Treg cells
  • CAP®GO-derived GMP TGF-β1 is planned to become available in the second half of 2018

Cologne and Freiburg, Germany, January 31, 2018

CEVEC Pharmaceuticals GmbH (CEVEC), the expert in the production of tailor-made recombinant glycoproteins and gene therapy vectors, is pleased to note that cooperation partner CellGenix, a leading global supplier of GMP raw materials for cell and gene therapy and regenerative medicine, today announced the expansion of its portfolio with the introduction of CAP®GO technology-derived preclinical grade TGF-β1 for ex vivo cell culture applications. After CellGenix® rh HGF, this is the second product originating from this cooperation.

press release

September 2017

Article – Cell & Gene Therapy Europe

Raw materials for ATMP manufacturing: regulatory and supply issues

The cell and gene therapy space has seen a great deal of growth and progress over the last couple of years as more companies are approaching late-stage clinical development and market authorization. But what does this mean for the manufacturing process? What challenges remain and how can they be overcome?

Read our vision on how scale-up can be achieved in a reliably safe and consistent way: article

 

Join our roundtable session at the Cell & Gene Therapy Europe to continue this discussion: September 20 at 10:30-11:15

May 2017

Press Release CellGenix – May

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CellGenix appoints leading experts to scientific advisory board

Freiburg, Germany, May 15, 2017 – CellGenix, a global leader in providing GMP-grade raw materials for cell and gene therapy and tissue-engineered products, today announced the appointment of highly experienced and internationally respected experts in the field of cell and gene therapy to its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). The SAB will serve as a strategic resource to CellGenix as it continues to develop high quality raw materials used worldwide in cell and gene therapy and regenerative medicine.

“We are delighted to have attracted these renowned experts to the SAB,” says Prof. Dr. Felicia Rosenthal, CEO of CellGenix. “They join at an exciting time for CellGenix as the field is advancing rapidly and we are increasing our R&D investment. We are convinced that the background and experience of our SAB members will bring new ideas for our product development pipeline. Their input is especially welcome as we are working on various promising products for the future.”

The members of CellGenix’ Scientific Advisory Board are:

  • Cliona Rooney, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy at Baylor College of Medicine. Prof. Rooney brings over 20 years of expertise in the field of T cell immunotherapy for virus-associated diseases and cancer. She was instrumental in the development of T-cell therapies virus-specific T-cells in the stem cell transplant setting and has further developed and refined antigen-specific T-cells for the treatment of cancer. Her current interests are in gene modifications and other strategies to render T-cells effective within an immunosuppressive microenvironment.
  • Mitchell H. Finer, Ph.D., brings three decades of experience in the areas of regenerative medicine, cancer immunotherapy and cell and gene therapy, where he helped to advance products from conception through phase III clinical programs.  Dr. Finer founded Oncorus and currently serves as CEO and CSO. In 2015 he joined MPM Capital as Managing Director and is a member of the board of directors of MPM portfolio company Semma Therapeutics. Prior to MPM, Dr. Finer served as CSO of bluebird bio, where he was responsible for strategic elaboration of bluebird’s gene-modified adult hematopoietic stem cell therapy business and led the strategic development and partnering of CAR-T and genome engineering programs.
  • Anthony Davies, Ph.D., is the founder and executive chairman of Dark Horse Consulting, a consultancy agency focused on CMC and product development issues in monoclonal antibody and cell and gene therapies. Dr. Davies brings along more than two decades of experience in the cell and gene therapy field. Over this period he has held positions of increasing responsibility at companies including Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Geron Corporation and Capricor.

press release

April 2017

New Preclinical Cytokine

Preclinical recombinant human IFN-γ

We proudly announce the launch of E. coli derived recombinant human Interferon-gamma. This new preclinical product further expands our cytokines & growth factors portfolio for the cell and gene thereapy space. It is produced in our dedicated animal-free facility ensuring maximum safety for optimal use in preclinical cell and gene therapy applications.

Features
• E. coli derived human sequence
• High purity
• Termostability up to 50°C as lyophilized product
• Batch specific Certificate of Analysis
• ADCF Level 2 (no ADC in product and production process)

Areas of Application
• Maturation of monocyte-derived dendritic cells (DC)
• Generation of cytokine induced killer cells (CIK)
• Stimulation of monocytes, macrophages and microglia

Intended Use
For preclinical ex vivo use. Not intended for therapeutic use.

Interview in Cell & Gene Therapy Insights

Raw materials for cell & gene therapy: exploring regulatory and supply issues

Bernd Leistler, our Vice President Development & Production, was interviewed by the Cell & Gene Therapy Insights about our vision on the regulatory and supply issues for raw materials.

The cell and gene therapy sector has seen a rapid expansion and maturation as more companies are approaching late-stage clinical development and market authorization. We see this reflected in an increased demand for GMP-grade raw materials and discussions about their quality requirements and regulatory guidance. Please click here to download the interview and read about our vision on the regulatory and supply issues for raw materials.

The interview was published in the Cell & Gene Therapy Insights spotlight “Raw materials for cell & gene therapy: getting it right from the start”. You can access the complete spotlight here.

February 2017

Press Release CellGenix – February

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CellGenix headquarters expands to meet the increasing demands for GMP cell culture reagents

Freiburg, Germany, February 21, 2017 – CellGenix, a global leader in providing GMP-grade raw materials for cell and gene therapy and tissue-engineered products, started facility expansions as more customers approach late-stage clinical development and commercialization.

Through early 2018, research and development laboratory as well as production and warehouse space will be added to its German headquarters in Freiburg. Consequently, new positions in research and development as well as quality control and production will be filled. The upgrade also introduces state-of-the-art, large scale, filling capacities for recombinant protein products in the existing GMP facilities.

The expansion is the result of robust, sustainable and profitable growth which the company has experienced over the previous years. These advancements are reflective of the rapidly expanding cell and gene therapy space as promising therapies approach market authorization and commercialization. The experienced industry growth and strong forecasts in cell and gene therapy lead to an increased demand in GMP-grade raw materials for production.

“The investment we are making is a very positive sign for the gene and cell therapy space and the future of CellGenix. It will allow us to fulfill the increasing demand for GMP-grade cytokines and serum-free media. It also shows the importance of high quality GMP reagents for safe, reliable and successful cell and gene therapy manufacturing.” says Prof. Dr. Felicia Rosenthal, CEO of CellGenix.

Frank Hecht, Vice President Marketing & Sales at CellGenix, adds: “With this expansion we strengthen our position as a leading partner for all companies active in the manufacturing of cell and gene therapies and we are ready to grow with them into their commercial phase.”

press release

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