▎ WuXi AppTec content team editor
Today, SQZ Biotechnologies announced that it will present data from the first non-clinical study of its point-of-care (POC) cell therapy manufacturing system at its 2022 American Association for Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT) annual meeting on May 18. These data will show that this POC manufacturing system has similar or better performance than traditional cleanroom manufacturing processes in the treatment of SQZ candidate cell therapies.
SQZ's technology platform, called Cell Squeeze, uses microfluidic chips made of silicon-glass that squeeze cells at high speeds to create temporary small holes in the cell membrane that last only a few seconds. These small holes allow the smooth entry of a variety of biomaterials or drug molecules, including proteins, nucleic acids, and carbon nanotubes. Moreover, this technique hardly affects the natural gene expression of the cell, thus maintaining the normal function of the cell. At present, SQZ has developed dozens of chips to squeeze cells of different sizes, so as to achieve the genetic engineering of cells without the need for viral vectors.
▲Cell Squeeze technology platform (Image source: SQZ official website)
The company is developing an automated POC production system that integrates cell isolation, cell cleaning, intracellular delivery, and product encapsulation processes. It uses a closed, single-use sterile kit that offers the potential to manufacture cell therapies outside the cleanroom, ultimately allowing cell therapy to be manufactured in a variety of medical settings.
The company also announced a partnership with STEMCELL Technology to develop a microfluidic "Cell Squeeze" system for basic research only, which can deliver different biomolecules into cells, allowing more scientists in the biological sciences to use the company's "Cell Squeeze" technology to advance preclinical research.
Dr. Armon Sharei, founder and CEO of SQZ Biotechnologies
"SQZ's vision is to improve patient care by creating transformative cell therapies." Dr. Armon Sharei, Founder and CEO of SQZ, said, "The POC manufacturing system we have developed has the potential to significantly improve the availability and affordability of cell therapies. Through our partnership with STEMCELL, we aim to expand the application of this technology in scientific research and promote advances in the field of cell therapy." ”
Resources:
[1] SQZ Biotechnologies Announces First Data Presentation on Non-Clinical Studies of Point-of-Care Manufacturing System and Collaboration with STEMCELL Technologies on Research-Use-Only System to Fuel Preclinical Research. Retrieved May 5, 2022, form https://investors.sqzbiotech.com/news/news-details/2022/SQZ-Biotechnologies-Announces-First-Data-Presentation-on-Non-Clinical-Studies-of-Point-of-Care-Manufacturing-System-and-Collaboration-with-STEMCELL-Technologies-on-Research-Use-Only-System-to-Fuel-Preclinical-Research/default.aspx
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