Project Details
Projekt
System for automated cell processing
Subject Area
Medicine
Term
Funded in 2025
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 567945770
Novel cellular therapeutics like ATMPs (advanced therapy medicinal products) underlie special regulatory requirements. An official manufacturing license requires that the manufacturing process is robust, reproducible and aseptic. This is difficult to achieve with conventional, open cell culture techniques. The addition or exchange of media or cytokines, washing steps, cell selection processes in open cell culture devices is teadious, difficult to control and prone to contamination. An automatisation of procedures allows a better standardisation of manufacturing, accelerates working steps and lowers costs for personnel. The applied device is intended and validated for automated complex selection and depletion procedures of apheresis products as well as for short-term cell cultures (e.g. T-cell expansion for 12 days). The device includes a selection magnet, a CO2 cell culture chamber, other ingredients can be added automatically via sterile filters. Complete procedures for transfection of T-cells with chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) have been preprogrammed, master protocols are archived at the competent authorities (PEI). With the acquisition of the applied device we will manufacture patient-specific CAR-T-cells close to the bedside in the new gene therapy unit of the GMP-laboratory of the UKW. A special emphasis of our program is the use of non-viral transfection systems, like the sleeping beauty transposon system. For GMP-translation of this technique an electroporator is required, which is integrated in this system and which is an integral part of our application.
DFG Programme
Major Research Instrumentation
Major Instrumentation
System zur automatisierten Zellverarbeitung
Instrumentation Group
3500 Zellzähl- und Klassiergeräte (außer Blutanalyse), Koloniezähler
Applicant Institution
Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg
