On April 19, 2022 Labcorp (NYSE: LH), a leading global life sciences company, reported that collaborating with Xcell Biosciences, Inc. (Xcellbio), a leading developer of cell and gene therapy technologies, to advance critical work that helps clients effectively bring innovative cell and gene therapies to market (Press release, LabCorp, APR 19, 2022, View Source [SID1234612487]).
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Through their collaboration, Labcorp and Xcellbio will work on a series of projects focused on improving the safety and efficacy of cell and gene therapies (CGTs). This strengthens Labcorp’s commitment to growing its global, comprehensive suite of CGT capabilities, and it supports pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies’ efforts to expedite therapeutic development.
"Labcorp is firmly committed to helping our clients bring new treatment options to patients in need while revolutionizing the future of medicine with cell and gene therapies," said Dr. Maryland Franklin, vice president and enterprise head of cell and gene therapy at Labcorp. "By pairing the scale and breadth of our enterprise-wide CGT solutions with Xcellbio’s powerful technology, we have an opportunity to enhance and accelerate the CGT development experience. It’s another way Labcorp is carrying out its mission to improve health and improve lives."
CGTs modify a person’s genes to treat disease by inactivating or replacing a disease-causing gene, or introducing a new or modified cell or gene. CGTs are being tested for use in the treatment of many diseases, including Parkinson’s disease, an array of rare diseases, and both solid tumors and blood-based cancers. The projects included in the collaboration will use Xcellbio’s AVATAR incubator system to grow and expand research-grade CAR-T cell material used to attack cancer cells. This work helps demonstrate the power of understanding the parameters of the tumor microenvironment in the creation of CAR-T cells with improved performance. In addition, the technology will be used to acclimate cancer cells to more physiologic conditions and expand 3D modeling for in vitro CAR-T testing.
"We’re continuously striving to advance cell and gene therapy development through technology innovations that enable the precise control of cell populations to enhance the potency and persistence needed for optimal patient outcomes," said Brian Feth, CEO of Xcellbio. "The exciting projects we’re undertaking with Labcorp allow our shared clients to harness the institutional knowledge and resources of a global organization to craft innovative approaches to develop potentially curative treatments."
The collaboration—the latest in Labcorp’s string of recent CGT-focused relationships—follows the company’s strategic investment in Xcellbio in November 2021. It also underscores Labcorp’s efforts to address the unique needs of complex CGT development through industry connectivity. Labcorp is committed to enhancing its CGT solutions across the entire development continuum through investments in its people, operations and technology, and through external collaborations.
Labcorp is offering clients access to a dedicated team of CGT leaders with deep expertise in all aspects of the development process. Clients are further supported by a multi-disciplinary group of operational, medical and regulatory members from across the enterprise, providing comprehensive and strategic insights that enable increased efficiency and reduced risk through critical development milestones.
With more than 20 years of experience in delivering development solutions for advanced therapies such as CGT products, Labcorp employs a personalized approach to bring clients customized solutions on a global scale. These range from preclinical discovery and development to comprehensive clinical trials and commercialization services. The company has helped support the development of all six U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved CAR-T cell therapies, as well as both FDA-approved gene replacement therapies.
Learn more about Labcorp’s CGT capabilities and the collaboration with Xcellbio during an upcoming thought leadership workshop, "Strategies and Approaches to Optimize Your Non-clinical and Clinical Development for Cell and Gene Therapies," to be held on Monday, May 16, 2022, during the annual meeting of the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy. More information is available here.