ScaleReady, in collaboration with Wilson Wolf Manufacturing, Bio-Techne Corporation, and CellReady, has awarded three G-Rex Grants to researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) and the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles (CHLA). The total funding of $1,025,000 will support the clinical translation of various cell and gene therapy projects.

Dr Mohamed Abou-el-Enein, executive director of the USC/CHLA cell therapy program and founding director of the cGMP Facility, received $300,000 to advance a non-viral manufacturing platform for CAR-T cell therapies. Initially funded by a California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) INFR5 Grant, this additional support aims to accelerate progress on the platform. Dr Abou-el-Enein described the G-Rex system as a key tool in establishing an efficient and scalable CAR-T manufacturing process that delivers high-yield cell expansion and consistent results within a compact setup. The platform supports both his laboratory and external clients operating within the GMP facility.

Dr Saul Priceman, founding director of the Keck School of Medicine of USC’s cancer cellular immunotherapy research group, was awarded $275,000 to develop a G-Rex based CAR-T cell process. This effort supports advancing a novel CAR-T therapy into Phase 1/2 clinical trials for metastatic solid cancers. The laboratory is also exploring viral and non-viral engineering strategies to be adapted to the G-Rex system, addressing manufacturing bottlenecks and expanding preclinical and clinical research activities. Dr. Priceman noted the potential to translate new immunotherapies across USC and CHLA using this production platform.

Dr Shahab Asgharzadeh, director of the neuroblastoma basic and translational program at CHLA, received $250,000 to support late-stage preclinical development of a Chimeric TGFB Signaling Receptor Enabled Anti-B7H3 CAR-T cell therapy aimed at children, adolescents, and young adults with recurrent solid tumors. This work builds on an existing CIRM CLIN1 Grant.

Dr. Preet Chaudhary, professor of medicine and chief of the Nohl division of hematology and center for blood diseases, received $200,000 to support process development and IND submission for a Synthetic Immune Receptor engineered T cell therapy targeting solid tumors. This program is supported by a CIRM TRAN1 Grant.

John Wilson, CEO of Wilson Wolf and co-inventor of the G-Rex system said: “USC and CHLA have assembled a world-class team of innovators in the cell therapy field with the intent of making significant contributions to the cell and gene-modified cell therapy (CGT) field. We are impressed by the thoroughness of their CGT manufacturing selection process and having G-Rex selected as the platform to support their current and future clinical plans is an honor.”

ScaleReady’s G-Rex Grant Program supports cell and gene therapy development by awarding grants up to $300,000. Nearly 200 grants have been made to date, with over 50 new applications pending. Recipients gain access to additional support from ScaleReady’s consortium of partners, offering expertise and tools in cGMP manufacturing, quality and regulatory affairs, and cell and gene therapy business operations.