Kincell Bio and Cellipont Bioservices have completed their merger to form Kincellis Advanced Therapies, a U.S.-based contract development and manufacturing organization focused on cell therapies and other advanced modalities.
The combined company will provide development and manufacturing services from early-stage work through commercial supply. It brings together Kincell’s experience in immune-cell technologies with Cellipont’s work in stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells, mesenchymal stromal cells, dendritic cells, exosomes and mRNA-enabled approaches.
Kincellis said the combined organization supports both autologous therapies, which use a patient’s own cells, and allogeneic therapies, which use cells from a donor. The companies have released more than 150 good manufacturing practice batches for clients and are supporting 10 investigational new drug filings this year.
The company operates approximately 140,000 square feet of development and manufacturing infrastructure across Gainesville, Florida; Research Triangle Park, North Carolina; and The Woodlands, Texas. Its three-site network includes 16 operational, qualified GMP manufacturing suites.
Darren Head is chief executive officer of Kincellis. Larry Pitcher serves as president and will lead an operations team comprising leaders from both predecessor companies and more than 200 employees. Mark Bamforth is executive chair of the board.
Kincellis said the three-site network is intended to provide capacity and allow programs to be matched with manufacturing teams and capabilities based on their stage of development and supply requirements.
The merger combines facilities, technical teams and manufacturing capabilities under the Kincellis name. The company said it will support programs spanning process development, analytical development, clinical manufacturing, pivotal-stage work and commercial supply.