Cellares has secured a $50 million growth equity investment from Prime Radiant as part of its $327 million Series D financing, strengthening the company’s plans to expand automated manufacturing capacity for cell therapies across the USA, Europe and Japan.

The investment marks the inaugural deal for Prime Radiant and adds further financial support to Cellares’ strategy of scaling its manufacturing platform for clinical and commercial cell therapy production.

Cellares is developing automated technologies designed to streamline the manufacture of cell therapies, an area that has traditionally relied on labour-intensive processes and has been viewed as a bottleneck to broader patient access.

The company is building a network of manufacturing facilities intended to support pharmaceutical and biotechnology developers as they move cell therapies from clinical development into commercial production.

fabian gerlinghaus, co-founder and chief executive officer of Cellares, said: “When investors with that background make you their first investment, it reflects real conviction in Cellares’ IDMO model which integrates world-class tools and integrated automation to offer global biopharmaceutical manufacturing services.”

He added: “As we expand our network of IDMO Smart Factories into the United States, Europe, and Japan their operational expertise will be invaluable.”

Prime Radiant said it selected Cellares because of its focus on manufacturing technologies supporting next-generation medicines.

walid gardezi, co-founder and partner at Prime Radiant, said: “Cellares represents our strategy at work as we seek to partner with exceptional management teams and companies to accelerate growth and drive innovation to improve human health.”

The investment comes as developers across the advanced therapies sector seek new approaches to increase manufacturing efficiency and reduce the complexity associated with producing personalised cell-based medicines.

According to Cellares, its automated manufacturing platform is intended to improve scalability and consistency while reducing the operational demands associated with conventional production methods. The company is also developing automated quality control technologies to support manufacturing workflows.

Headquartered in South San Francisco, Cellares operates a commercial-scale manufacturing facility in Bridgewater, New Jersey, while additional sites are under development in Europe and Japan. The expanded network is intended to support both clinical-stage and commercial programmes as demand for cell therapies continues to grow.

For Prime Radiant, the transaction represents the first investment by its healthcare-focused fund and reflects its strategy of backing companies developing technologies and services for pharmaceutical manufacturing and life sciences.