MaxCyte has entered into a technology license partnership with Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, to support multiple cell therapy development programs. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
The license gives Genentech access to MaxCyte’s ExPERT GTx platform and additional technologies across selected research, clinical development and manufacturing workflows. The agreement is structured to support multiple programs involving ex vivo cell engineering.
Ex vivo therapies involve removing cells from a patient or donor, modifying them outside the body and then administering the engineered cells as a treatment. These programs require technologies capable of introducing genetic material or other biological payloads into cells while preserving their quality and function.
MaxCyte’s Flow Electroporation technology uses controlled electrical pulses to temporarily open cell membranes. This enables researchers and manufacturers to deliver molecules into different cell types for therapeutic development.
The ExPERT GTx platform is designed to support cell engineering as programs progress from laboratory research into clinical development and commercial-scale manufacturing. Genentech will be able to use the technology across selected stages of that lifecycle.
MaxCyte said the partnership will also provide access to complementary gene-editing and analytical capabilities. These tools can help developers evaluate how cells were modified and assess the consistency and quality of editing outcomes.
The platform is intended to support current good manufacturing practice, or cGMP, processes used to produce therapies for clinical trials and commercial distribution. Maintaining continuity between research and manufacturing can reduce the need to change technology platforms as a program advances.
MaxCyte believes integrated access to its technologies can help Genentech streamline development across multiple cell therapy programs. The partnership combines cell-engineering tools with services designed to support the characterization and evaluation of gene-editing results.
The agreement further expands MaxCyte’s role as a technology provider to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies developing next-generation cell-based treatments. The company has spent more than 25 years developing platforms for engineering a range of cell types and biological payloads.
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“Cell therapy development increasingly requires technology partners that can support programs as they advance from research through development and manufacturing.”
“This partnership allows MaxCyte to provide broader support to Genentech across the cell therapy lifecycle by bringing together complementary capabilities in cell engineering and gene editing. Through integrated access to these platforms, we are helping partners move forward with greater speed, confidence, and continuity.”
Maher Masoud, President and CEO of MaxCyte
