Three research teams to advance manufacturing and development of cell therapies for solid tumors, ovarian cancer, and Batten disease

ScaleReady, in collaboration with Wilson Wolf Manufacturing, Bio-Techne Corporation and CellReady, has awarded $665,000 in G-Rex Grant funding to three investigators at the University of Minnesota’s Center for Genome Engineering.

The grants will support research and manufacturing process development for cell therapies targeting a range of diseases, including advanced epithelial ovarian cancer, solid tumors, and Batten disease.

Dr Branden Moriarity, associate professor at the University of Minnesota and co-director of the Center for Genome Engineering, was awarded a $300,000 G-Rex Grant to support technology transfer, process development and qualification runs for a hyper-functional chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) natural killer (NK) cell therapy. The cell therapy will be evaluated in a Phase 1 clinical trial for the treatment of advanced epithelial ovarian cancer.

Dr Beau Webber, associate professor and co-director of the Genome Engineering Shared Resource at the University of Minnesota, received a $240,000 G-Rex Grant. The funding will support preclinical development of a novel tumor infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy aimed at treating various solid tumors.

A further $125,000 was awarded to Dr Joseph Skeate, assistant professor at the University of Minnesota, to support the development and optimization of a G-Rex centric manufacturing process for a TPP1-expressing T cell therapy. The therapy targets Batten disease, a group of rare inherited neurodegenerative disorders that typically begin in childhood.

“We are highly appreciative of receiving significant G-Rex Grant funding that will improve G-Rex centric manufacturing for our unique cell and gene therapy drug products. The willingness of our Minnesota neighbors, Wilson Wolf and Bio-Techne, to allocate financial resources to our University of Minnesota cell and gene therapy (CGT) programs and the CGT field as a whole is greatly appreciated,” said Dr Branden Moriarity.

John Wilson, CEO of Wilson Wolf and co-inventor of G-Rex, commented, “The state of Minnesota has a long history of pioneering adoptive cell therapy efforts dating back to 1968 when the first bone marrow transplant with a matched related donor occurred at the University of Minnesota. It’s our pleasure to award G-Rex Grant funds to these leading investigators at the Center for Genome Engineering to advance their diverse portfolio of innovative cell therapies for devastating cancers and rare diseases and we are fortunate to be able to play a small role in supporting Minnesota’s contributions to the field of cell and gene therapy.”

The ScaleReady G-Rex Grant Program has now surpassed $40 million in no-cost product commitments. Individual grants are valued at up to $300,000 and aim to support advancement in cell and gene-modified therapy development and manufacturing. In addition to funding, grant recipients gain access to ScaleReady’s consortium of G-Rex Grant partners, offering expertise in areas such as cGMP manufacturing, quality and regulatory affairs, and CGT business operations.

The company has also announced a new initiative to further promote efficient and scalable CGT manufacturing. In partnership with Hanson Wade, ScaleReady has launched an event series titled LEAN Cell & Gene. The free programme is open to all CGT entities and is designed to help teams eliminate waste, stabilise operations, increase product quality, and adopt a LEAN mindset in development and manufacturing.