Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY) and Cellares, the pioneering Integrated Development and Manufacturing Organization (IDMO) dedicated to cell therapy manufacturing, have announced a significant worldwide capacity reservation and supply agreement. Valued at up to $380M in upfront and milestone payments, the deal underscores the growing demand for CAR T cell therapies.
Under the agreement, Cellares will leverage its automated and high-throughput manufacturing platform, the Cell Shuttle™, to optimize, automate, and tech-transfer select CAR T cell therapies for Bristol Myers Squibb. Multiple Cell Shuttle and Cell Q™ systems will be exclusively dedicated to Bristol Myers Squibb’s use, deployed in Cellares’ Smart Factories across the U.S., EU, and Japan.
The complexity of manufacturing cell therapies, coupled with their increasing demand due to their transformative potential in treating various diseases, necessitates scalable solutions. This collaboration enables Bristol Myers Squibb to expand its manufacturing capacity, potentially improving turnaround time and ensuring broader access to cell therapies.
Lynelle B. Hoch, President of Bristol Myers Squibb’s Cell Therapy Organization, emphasized the strategic importance of the agreement in advancing their mission to provide transformative treatments rapidly to patients worldwide.
This partnership builds upon prior collaborations between Bristol Myers Squibb and Cellares, including Bristol Myers Squibb’s participation in Cellares’ Series C financing in August 2023. The companies’ shared commitment to innovation aims to accelerate access to life-saving cell therapies globally.
Fabian Gerlinghaus, CEO and Co-founder of Cellares, highlighted the alignment of the agreement with Cellares’ vision of establishing a global network of automated Smart Factories to meet the surging demand for cell therapies worldwide.
Bristol Myers Squibb and Cellares encourage the advancement of cell therapy research and development and aim to address global patient needs through their collaborative efforts.
About Bristol Myers Squibb Bristol Myers Squibb is a global biopharmaceutical company dedicated to discovering, developing, and delivering innovative medicines to combat serious diseases. For more information, visit BMS.com.
About Cellares Cellares is the first Integrated Development and Manufacturing Organization (IDMO), leveraging Industry 4.0 principles to mass-manufacture 21st-century living drugs. Their Cell Shuttle™ technology facilitates end-to-end automation, enhancing efficiency in cell therapy manufacturing. For more information, visit cellares.com.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning the research, development, and commercialization of pharmaceutical products, as well as the agreement with Cellares. These statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties that could cause future results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. Bristol Myers Squibb encourages readers to review the risks and uncertainties outlined in their filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
