Princeton-based Made Scientific, a cell therapy contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), and Basilard BioTech, a Southern California biotechnology company, announced on Monday the two have entered into a strategic partnership. The collaboration aims to accelerate the development and translation of Basilard BioTech’s nanomechanical gene delivery platform, Celletto™.
A new approach to gene delivery
The Celletto platform is a non-viral gene delivery technology designed to overcome the limitations of current methods. By using nanoneedles to create a temporary disruption in the cell membrane, it can directly transport genetic material into the cell nucleus. This process allows for exceptionally high transfer efficiency while maintaining the functional integrity of sensitive cells like T cells and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). This contrasts with traditional viral systems, which can be costly, complex, and carry risks of insertional mutagenesis, or other non-viral methods that can compromise cell viability.
Key benefits of the Celletto™ platform include:
- Superior Cell Viability: The technology preserves the health of sensitive cells, leading to higher recovery rates and more robust cell expansion.
- High Gene Transfer Efficiency: It achieves reliable and reproducible delivery of genetic payloads, even for large plasmids and gene-editing components.
- Scalability & Flexibility: Engineered on silicon wafers, the platform is modular and adaptable for both small-scale research and large-scale, GMP-compliant manufacturing.
- Reduced Cost & Complexity: By eliminating the need for viral vectors, Celletto™ can significantly shorten production timelines and lower costs, potentially making advanced therapies more accessible.
Strategic partnership
Under the new agreement, Basilard BioTech will leverage Made Scientific’s state-of-the-art GMP manufacturing facility in to validate and scale the Celletto™ platform. This collaboration will focus on its application in T cell and iPSC processes, with potential for other cell types in the future.
“We look forward to collaborating with Made Scientific to demonstrate the transformative, and disruptive potential of Celletto™,” Brynley Lee, founder, president, and CEO of Basilard BioTech, said. “Made Scientific, with their deep experience and skilled teams, is the perfect partner for helping to confirm Celletto’s™ unique capabilities.”
Syed Husain, Chairman & CEO of Made Scientific, also expressed his enthusiasm. “By pairing Basilard’s Celletto™ platform with Made Scientific’s end-to-end clinical and commercial CDMO services, we can provide biotech innovators with a more scalable, efficient, and commercially viable solution for advancing transformative T cell and iPSC therapies.”
On-site installation and joint studies are currently underway, with initial results expected by the end of Q3 2025. The companies plan to publish the results and present their findings at upcoming industry conferences.
