Princeton-based Made Scientific, a cell therapy Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO), and synthetic biology company Syenex, on Wednesday announced a technology partnership aimed at dramatically improving the scalability and efficiency of engineered T cell therapies. The collaboration integrates Syenex’s proprietary UltraCell™ and RapidCell™ bioengineering systems into Made Scientific’s manufacturing processes.
This partnership is designed to tackle the critical challenges of cost and scalability inherent in traditional lentiviral- and retroviral-vector-engineered T cell therapy manufacturing. Syenex’s advanced delivery vector engineering systems offer significant advantages, including up to a 10x improvement in gene delivery efficiency and the potential for vastly reduced manufacturing timelines and substantially lower costs.
Streamlining the gene delivery process
Initial proof-of-concept studies have already demonstrated the strength of the collaboration. In their first joint study, Made and Syenex found that the RapidCell™ system provides a suitable, more efficient, and cost-effective alternative to commonly used cell transduction and activation reagents. Furthermore, initial data suggests the system is highly specific and could enable the successful transduction and activation of non-enriched cell populations, further streamlining the manufacturing process and significantly reducing overall costs.
“We look forward to collaborating with Syenex to advance solutions that address the critical challenges of scalability, cost, and efficiency in cell therapy manufacturing,” Syed Husain, Chairman & CEO of Made Scientific said. “By incorporating Syenex’s advanced systems into Made Scientific’s manufacturing processes, we’re enabling access to an efficient and cost-effective platform that can be leveraged by therapeutic developers to accelerate the path from R&D to GMP, making life-saving therapies more accessible for patients in need.”
Accelerating access to life-saving treatments
The companies are continuing to build on these initial findings, with the goal of debuting a customer-accessible manufacturing platform process incorporating the technology in 2026. Results from the proof-of-concept studies are slated to be shared at a future forum.
Jay Rosanelli, co-founder and CEO of Syenex, emphasized the transformative potential of the technology. “We’re thrilled to partner with Made Scientific to demonstrate how our UltraCell™ and RapidCell™ systems can redefine T cell therapy manufacturing,” Rosanelli said. “Together we’re showing how advanced delivery engineering can break through scalability and cost barriers, accelerating the path to life-saving therapies.”
Both companies believe their combined expertise is uniquely positioned to accelerate the development of next-generation T cell therapies, ensuring that life-saving treatments reach patients faster and with greater global impact.
