Cesca Therapeutics Announces Issuance of New Cellular Processing Patent Poised to Revolutionize CAR-T Cell Manufacturing
July 28 2017 - 7:00AM
Cesca Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:KOOL), a market leader in automated
cell processing, today announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark
Office has awarded a new U.S. Patent, No. 9,695,394 (the ‘394
patent’), entitled “Cell Separation Devices, Systems, and Methods.”
The patent was awarded to SynGen, Inc., whose cell processing
assets were acquired by ThermoGenesis Corp., Cesca’s 80%-owned
device subsidiary, on July 10, 2017. The patent relates to the
automated isolation of rare, therapeutically critical target cells
from blood, bone marrow, leukapheresis product, and other cell
sources, while maintaining the viability of the cells under
asceptic conditions. This advanced technology is part of Cesca’s
proprietary CAR-TXpress™ platform that now integrates
multi-component automation steps, including T-cell isolation,
purification, culture expansion and washing, and single
cassette-based automated -196°C cryopreservation and retrieval. The
CAR-TXpress™ system provides a comprehensive and commercially
viable, automated cellular manufacturing and control (CMC) solution
for the development of CAR-T and CAR-NK therapeutics.
“This new patent issuance significantly
strengthens the intellectual property position surrounding our
proprietary automation technology which is core to our
best-in-class ThermoGenesis portfolio of cell processing systems,”
said Chris Xu, Cesca’s chief executive officer. “Traditional cell
processing methodologies, including those currently being
implemented and used by leading CAR-T developers, are manual and
time consuming, presenting significant challenges to the future
large-scale commercial feasibility of these revolutionary
therapies. In contrast, Cesca’s patented, automated cell processing
systems provide greater cell yields and higher consistency in a
fraction of the time, making them ideally suited to meet industry
needs. The ability to leverage our technology to commercialize the
BACS process is a milestone achievement for our company.”
Cesca’s ‘394 patent covers a device and
methodology for integrating automated cellular separation and
buoyancy-activated cell sorting (BACS) processes. BACS employs
microscopic bubbles to isolate a specific cell type from a complex
mixture of cells, such as blood. These microbubbles bear antibodies
on their surface, enabling them to bind specifically to a single
desired target cell type. When coated with microbubbles, the target
cells float to the top of the host liquid, while non-target cells
sink to the bottom - a process that can be accelerated by
centrifugation. Subsequent collection of the floating target cell
layer and release of the cells from their microbubbles provides a
highly-purified preparation of just the cells of interest, with
high recovery efficiency while retaining cell viability.
Additionally, the ‘394 patent allows for the automated isolation of
cells with low density surface antigens, which was previously a
major cellular manufacturing challenge.
“Cesca’s unique CAR-TXpress™ cell processing
solution begins with BACS-based cell isolation technology to
provide the ultra-high levels of cell purity, recovery, and
viability of target immune cells from donor blood that therapeutic
cell manufacturers increasingly demand,” said Philip Coelho, chief
technology officer of ThermoGenesis and co-inventor of the ‘394
patent. “Unlike conventional cell isolation technologies that work
on narrow streams of slowly moving suspended cells, our
BACS-enabling technology works in bulk volumes of cells,
dramatically reducing processing time. With these advantages, we
look forward to partnering with leading CAR-T developers as they
strive to bring these groundbreaking therapies to patients
suffering from cancer and other serious diseases.”
About Cesca Therapeutics Inc.
Cesca is a leading regenerative medicine company
that develops, commercializes and markets a range of automated
technologies for cell-based therapeutics. Its device division,
ThermoGenesis, provides a full suite of solutions for automated
clinical biobanking, point-of-care applications, and automation for
immuno-oncology. Cesca is also leveraging its proprietary
AutoXpress® technology platform to develop autologous stem
cell-based therapies that address significant unmet needs in the
vascular, cardiology and orthopedic markets.
Forward-Looking Statement
The statements contained herein may include
statements of future expectations and other forward-looking
statements that are based on management’s current views and
assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties
that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ
materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. A
more complete description of risks that could cause actual events
to differ from the outcomes predicted by Cesca Therapeutics'
forward-looking statements is set forth under the caption "Risk
Factors" in Cesca Therapeutics’ annual report on Form 10-K and
other reports it files with the Securities and Exchange Commission
from time to time, and you should consider each of those factors
when evaluating the forward-looking statements.
Company Contact: Cesca Therapeutics Inc.
ir@cescatherapeutics.com
Investor Contact:
Rx Communications
Paula Schwartz
917-322-2216
pschwartz@rxir.com
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