On September 19, 2016 Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc (Nasdaq:ADAP), a leader in T-cell therapy to treat cancer, reported that it has entered into a new five-year strategic manufacturing agreement with PCT, a Caladrius company, ("PCT") a subsidiary of Caladrius Biosciences (Nasdaq:CLBS) for the supply of Adaptimmune’s SPEAR T-cell therapies (Press release, Adaptimmune, SEP 19, 2016, View Source [SID:SID1234515212]). Under the contract, Adaptimmune will benefit from exclusive access to an EU and FDA compliant manufacturing unit at PCT as well as dedicated, specialist staff. Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo! Adaptimmune’s relationship with PCT, a contract manufacturer of patient cell therapy products, is intended to provide Adaptimmune with maximum operational flexibility for the manufacture of its SPEAR T-cell products from development, through clinical manufacturing and ultimately, subject to marketing authorizations, into commercialization.
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"PCT is an elite contract manufacturing organization in the field of patient-specific cell therapies, and we are very pleased to strengthen and develop our existing relationship," said Dr. Gwendolyn Binder-Scholl, Adaptimmune’s Chief Technology Officer. "We have worked with PCT over the past three years and their commitment to high quality manufacturing, allied to timely delivery, makes them an ideal manufacturing partner for Adaptimmune. This arrangement will also complement well our new manufacturing plant currently under construction in Philadelphia."
"We are pleased to significantly advance our relationship with Adaptimmune, which began with earlier-phase clinical trials. PCT is committed to adapting our service arrangements to support our client’s evolving needs as they proceed through late-stage trials and into commercial manufacturing," said Robert A. Preti, PhD, President of PCT and Senior Vice President, Manufacturing and Technical Operations of Caladrius Biosciences. "We appreciate Adaptimmune’s continued trust in PCT’s ability to support the distribution of their groundbreaking technologies in the U.S. and Europe."
Adaptimmune’s SPEAR T-cell therapies are novel cancer immunotherapies that use enhanced affinity T-cell receptors (TCRs) to target and destroy cancer cells by strengthening a patient’s natural T-cell response. T-cells are a type of white blood cell that play a central role in a person’s immune response to disease.
The manufacturing process for Adaptimmune’s SPEAR T-cell therapies consists of isolating T-cells from the blood of cancer patients; transferring affinity enhanced TCRs, which have been modified to recognize cancer cells, into the cells; activating and expanding the T-cells; and, introducing the affinity enhanced cells back into the patient to enable the patient’s immune system to attack cancer.