Limula and its partners win Eurostars grant to combine automated bioreactor and cell counting technologies

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Swiss Start-ups Limula and Ceidos Receive Highly Competitive Eurostars Grant of over EUR 1 million to Partner with Portuguese CDMO Stemmatters and Augment Modular Cell Therapy Manufacturing Platform.

• Limula will integrate the C-NETICS on-line and real-time cell analytics module developed by Ceidos into its novel bioreactor technology, supporting end-to-end production of CAR T cell therapies
• Stemmatters will provide expertise in Quality by Design of cell therapy process development and perform an in-depth assessment of the manufacturing platform
• The goal is to deliver a Proof-of-Concept validation for a fully automated cell therapy manufacturing platform with cell analytics capabilities

Lausanne and Monthey, Switzerland, Barco, Portugal, 15 April 2022 – Limula and Ceidos, two private start-up companies developing next-generation platforms for the automated production of cell and gene therapy products, have announced that they put a research and development agreement in place with Stemmatters, a private regenerative medicine company providing contract development and manufacturing services for cell-based products and biologics. The international consortium received a positive evaluation for a highly competitive Eurostars grant of EUR 1.14 million to augment the automated solution for end-to-end production of CAR T cell therapies developed by Limula with cell analytics capabilities provided by Ceidos. The aim of this collaboration is to combine Limula and Ceidos’ technologies into a complementary product offering, while leveraging Stemmatters’s expertise in cell therapy process development and cGMP manufacturing, towards fully closed and automated manufacturing of cell-based immunotherapies.

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies, have shown exceptional clinical efficacy for the treatment multiple forms of incurable cancers. However, a majority of eligible patients may never receive these life-saving treatment as there are still major hurdles in manufacturing these therapies at scale. By carrying out all steps of this complex process in a single self-contained device, the technology provided by Limula has the potential to change the manufacturing paradigm and make these life changing therapies at accessible cost, while minimizing any manual interventions required. Ceidos brings extensive expertise in closed-loop real-time cell culture monitoring. Their C-NETICS solution is composed of a single-use cartridge that allow cell counting and characterization using microelectrodes and image analysis using an embedded digital microscope. Artificial Intelligence is used to extract rich information from real-time data.

The proof-of-concept financed by Eurostars will demonstrate the value of a modular platform, addressing the needs of organizations involved in the development of new CGT products, from pre- clinical research to commercialization. Developing such a complex device requires a highly interdisciplinary team. “We were determined to bring the right partners on board to maximise chances of success. With Ceidos and Stemmatters, we have the expertise required to achieve this technological feat,” says Dr. Luc Henry, CEO of Limula. Beyond the collaboration, Limula will be responsible for the commercialisation of the integrated technology, with the goal of delivering a scalable and cost- effective manufacturing platform as soon as possible in order to help bring more CGT products into the clinic for the benefits of patients.

About Limula

Limula SA is a Life Science start-up based in Lausanne, Switzerland. The company was established with the explicit mission to help bring the most personalized cancer treatments to the patients in need, at reasonable cost, wherever they are. To achieve this goal, Limula multidisciplinary team provides a unique technology that enable production of autologous CAR T-cell therapies at scale, through automation and standardisation.

About Ceidos

CEIDOS SA is based in Sion, Switzerland. Founded in 2019, Ceidos has developed the C-NETICS automated system for continuously monitoring cell density and viability in a non-destructive way.

About Stemmatters

Stemmatters is a regenerative medicine company. The company provides contract development and manufacturing services for cell-based products and biologics.

About Eurostars

Eurostars funding is part of the Eureka R&D network programme, bringing together 37 partner countries and the European Commission, with a total of €1 billion to support cross-border innovation projects.

Contact Details

Dr. Luc Henry, Chief Executive Officer
[email protected]
www.limula.ch