Ori Biotech officials say the company has launched its Preferred Partner Network (PPN), bringing together academic medical centers (AMCs) and contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMOs) to deliver best-in-class solutions to accelerate the development and commercialization of cell and gene therapies.
The founding members of the Ori Preferred Partner Network in the United States include Charles River Laboratories, CTMC (a joint venture between MD Anderson Cancer Center and Resilience), ElevateBio, Kincell, and other currently undisclosed partners.
PPN membership offers the opportunity to develop core expertise with the new IRO® platform to accelerate cell therapy product development, according to Jason C. Foster, CEO, Ori Biotech.
“By partnering with the top academic institutions and CDMOs globally, Ori is helping to deliver proven solutions that speed time to clinic, reduce comparability risk, and shorten development timelines,” continued Foster. “The PPN enhances the flexibility of therapy developers to choose both best-of-breed technologies and service providers to deliver on their program goals. End-to-end solution providers often try to lock developers in, restricting flexibility, which is the opposite of what we need at this critical juncture for the industry.”
IRO was designed to deliver flexible solutions by integrating with other best-in-breed upstream and downstream technologies providing a streamlined and closed workflow to achieve optimal clinical and commercial success, noted Foster, who added that recently announced technology partnerships, like with Fresenius Kabi, alongside the launch of the PPN, mark a significant step forward in Ori’s mission to enable widespread patient access to life-saving cell and gene therapies.
“Ori’s mission mirrors our own: expedite the delivery of life-saving therapies to patients,” said Matthew Hewitt, PhD, vice president, CTO, manufacturing business division, Charles River.
“CTMC provides comprehensive solutions to our academic and biotech partners, enabling seamless translation from concept to clinic,” explained Jason Bock, CEO, CTMC. “By integrating the automated capabilities of Ori Biotech’s IRO platform, we enhance our technology offerings, streamlining cell therapy manufacturing and accelerating the path to patients.”
“Through the Ori Preferred Partner Network, we are able to offer our partners the necessary technologies and service solutions to accelerate development, manufacturing, and their path to commercialization,” stated Michael Paglia, CTO, ElevateBio BaseCamp.
“As the cell therapy field matures, innovative technologies that simplify the manufacturing of these complex therapies and reduce the cost of goods will enable broad distribution of these life-saving medicines,” pointed out Bruce Thompson, PhD, CTO, Kincell Bio. “Kincell Bio is excited to partner with Ori Biotech on the launch of the IRO platform to help our partners and clients ensure their cell therapy products reach patients in need.”