Limula receives CHF 0.5 million FIT loan to expand its Technology Access Program

Colorized scanning electron micrograph of a healthy T lymphocyte, also known as a T cell. Credit: NIAID CC BY 2.0

• Limula is a fast-growing Life Science Tools company combining ‘Swiss Made’ precision engineering and Cell and Gene Therapy expertise to deliver next-generation manufacturing platform.
• With 20 sub-systems in operation at 5 different locations in 2024, the Limula team has already collected valuable user feedback on the design of its solution.
• The non-dilutive capital provided by FIT will allow the company to bring its functional prototypes to additional early adopters in 2025 while the product is further improved.

Lausanne, 11 December 2024 – Over the past twelve months, five additional breakthrough Cell and Gene Therapy (CGT) products have been approved in the USA and Europe, confirming the market potential of this modality beyond pioneer CAR T treatments in haematological cancers. In the meantime, on-market products have received approval for use in earlier line of treatment, significantly broadening the eligible patient population. Despite the demonstrated clinical benefit, the complex, manual and costly production methods available to the industry remain an important barrier to successful and at scale commercialisation after market approval.

CGT manufacturing automation company Limula announces today it has received a loan of half a million Swiss francs from the Fondation pour l’Innovation et la technologie (FIT), complementing a Seed round the company closed earlier in the year. This fresh non-dilutive capital will allow Limula to bring its functional prototypes to additional early adopters, expanding the scope and reach of its current Technology Access Program.

Luc Henry, CEO of Limula: “Our interactions with end users over the last six months have been extremely valuable. The variety of customer profiles, with activities at different stages of CGT development, was important in validating key product development aspects. Having the capacity to expand the pool of early adopters will greatly benefit Limula by providing additional feedback during a critical product design phase”.

Limula was founded in 2020 by Dr. Luc Henry together with Dr. Yann Pierson and Dr. Thomas Eaton to deliver a disruptive approach to the ‘ex vivo’ manipulation of immune and haematopoietic stem cells, leveraging a completely novel technology concept designed with the particularities of CGT manufacturing in mind. Limula offers a totally novel approach to cell processing automation, based on a simple yet unique invention, combining a bioreactor and a centrifuge in a single system for the first time. The innovation stems from the observation that cell therapy manufacturing involves many steps (unit operations) that require different conditions. As no existing tool can manage them all, transfer between devices is necessary, leading to cell loss, stress and ultimately low product quality. Bringing multiple steps in a single device enables cost-effective development and production methods for highly personalised treatments of the next generation.

Julien Guex, Managing Director at FIT added: “I’m proud that the FIT foundation has supported Limula since the very beginning of their journey. Over the years, the FIT committee has continuously been impressed by the professionalism, vision and ambition of the leadership team.”

Following a Tech Grant and a Tech Seed loan in 2019 and 2022 – both worth CHF 100,000 – Limula is once again receiving support from FIT in the form of a Tech Growth loan of CHF 500,000. This sum will finance the production of additional advanced prototypes that will be made available to selected industry and academic partners for a second pilot test phase in 2025. The company will also consolidate its customer support team to maximise success for these early adopters of the innovative technology under development.

About Limula

Limula SA is a Life Science Tools company based in Lausanne, Switzerland, looking to disrupt the status quo in the manufacturing of Cell & Gene Therapies. Their mission is to support rapid and cost-effective introduction of new advanced therapy products to the market. Their cell processing platform leverages a proprietary design and automation to bring all functionalities required for on-demand and at-scale manufacturing of cell therapies in a single device.

About FIT

‍Active since 1994, the Fondation pour l’Innovation et la technologie (FIT) provides financial support to early-stage companies based in the Canton de Vaud in Switzerland and developing innovative products in energy & environment, information & digital technologies, life sciences & health, precision industries, and nutrition & agri-food.

Contact Details

Luc Henry, DPhil
[email protected]
www.limula.ch