SBIR-STTR Award

CGMP Compliant Closed Cell Culture System for Reproducible De-differentiation of human somatic cells into iPSCs
Award last edited on: 9/21/2022

Sponsored Program
SBIR
Awarding Agency
NIH : NIGMS
Total Award Amount
$1,173,076
Award Phase
2
Solicitation Topic Code
859
Principal Investigator
John Collins

Company Information

Biopico Systems

1761 Kaiser Avenue
Irvine, CA 92614
   (949) 328-7246
   biz@biopico.com
   www.biopico.com
Location: Single
Congr. District: 45
County: Orange

Phase I

Contract Number: 1R44GM139413-01
Start Date: 9/1/2020    Completed: 8/31/2022
Phase I year
2020
Phase I Amount
$400,000
CGMP Compliant Closed Cell Culture System for Reproducible De-differentiation of human somatic cells into iPSCs The advancement of iPSC-based personalized cell therapies is currently hindered by the challenges in the biomanufacturing of therapeutic cells. Despite approaches that have made the derivation, growth and differentiation of iPSCs more efficient, there remains significant variability in reprogramming efficacy, genomic integrity and developmental potential of iPSCs derived from patient tissue samples. These variabilities include lot-dependent or technician-dependent differentiation efficiency, bacterial or fungal contamination risks, CO2 or O2 concentration level stresses during cell maintenance, high costs or cross- contamination risks with centralized biomanufacturing facility and requirement of cGMP criteria or regulatory compliance. The difference of iPSCs derived from the same sample in their in-vitro growth characteristics and their inability to re-differentiate into the desired tissue type will cause serious problems in therapy. The further advance of iPSC-based personalized medicine is currently limited by the difficulty to generate iPSCs for large populations and at an affordable cost. Therefore Biopico Systems Inc will solve such challenges by developing an automated cGMP Compliant Closed Cell Culture System for reproducible de-differentiation of human somatic cells into iPSCs. To commercialize Biopico's “CellsMX” system, optimization of closed media exchange system and integration of customized mRNA/ media formulation front-end for reprogramming will be performed in this Phase II research. The CellsMX system will provide quality assurance to the customers for mass production under cGMP guidelines, as operating license are issued to biological entities along with how cells are produced, tested, and released for therapeutic use. Further, even, if a large number of patients need iPSC-based personalized cell therapies, under CellsMX closed system, patient cells are not cross-contaminated and the system can be deployed at the point of care avoiding high costs and risks associated with the transportation, logistics, tracking, and recording. While patient-specific iPSC strategy's reduction of immunologic stimulus will drive the initial market segment for the CellsMX system, Biopico will develop a suite of products for several of such therapeutic culture processes.

Public Health Relevance Statement:
Narrative The stem cells can address diseases such as cancer or damaged or dysfunctional organs using tissues or cell therapies. The enormous transplant waiting lists results in many people die awaiting transplants. Further, to provide stem cells as a viable source of replacement cells to treat diseases, the manufacturing costs are presently not affordable keeping public expectations unrealistic. Biopico's CellsMX reprogramming platform can address these issues to generate large number of iPSC and supply cells for stem cell banking or stem cell therapy applications.

Project Terms:
Address; Air; Algorithms; Alleles; Antibodies; Automation; base; Biological; Biomanufacturing; Biotechnology; Carbon Dioxide; Cell Culture System; Cell Culture Techniques; Cell Maintenance; Cell Therapy; Cells; Cellular Morphology; Characteristics; cost; Custom; Cyclic GMP; deep learning algorithm; Derivation procedure; design; Development; Differentiation and Growth; Disease; dosage; Environment; Equilibrium; expectation; Feasibility Studies; Fibroblasts; Film; flasks; Formulation; Freezing; Gene Expression; genome integrity; Goals; Growth; Guidelines; Human; Image; Immunologics; improved; In Vitro; Individual; induced pluripotent stem cell; Legal patent; Licensing; Liquid substance; Logistics; Malignant Neoplasms; Manuals; Messenger RNA; meter; Microscope; Monitor; Motor; novel; operation; Organ; Patients; Performance; Periodicity; personalized medicine; Phase; point of care; Population; pressure; pressure sensor; Process; Production; Protocols documentation; Pump; quality assurance; Reagent; Reproducibility; Research; Research Personnel; Risk; Sampling; Somatic Cell; Source; Stains; stem cell therapy; stem cells; Stimulus; Stress; stressor; success; Syringes; System; Systems Integration; Technology; Temperature; Testing; Therapeutic; Therapeutic Uses; Time; Tissue Sample; Tissue Therapy; Tissues; Transfection; Transplantation; Transportation; Vial device; Waiting Lists; wasting

Phase II

Contract Number: 5R44GM139413-02
Start Date: 9/1/2020    Completed: 8/31/2023
Phase II year
2021
Phase II Amount
$773,076
CGMP Compliant Closed Cell Culture System for Reproducible De-differentiation of humansomatic cells into iPSCsThe advancement of iPSC-based personalized cell therapies is currently hindered by the challenges in thebiomanufacturing of therapeutic cells. Despite approaches that have made the derivation, growth anddifferentiation of iPSCs more efficient, there remains significant variability in reprogramming efficacy,genomic integrity and developmental potential of iPSCs derived from patient tissue samples. Thesevariabilities include lot-dependent or technician-dependent differentiation efficiency, bacterial or fungalcontamination risks, CO2 or O2 concentration level stresses during cell maintenance, high costs or cross-contamination risks with centralized biomanufacturing facility and requirement of cGMP criteria or regulatorycompliance. The difference of iPSCs derived from the same sample in their in-vitro growth characteristicsand their inability to re-differentiate into the desired tissue type will cause serious problems in therapy. Thefurther advance of iPSC-based personalized medicine is currently limited by the difficulty to generate iPSCsfor large populations and at an affordable cost. Therefore Biopico Systems Inc will solve such challenges bydeveloping an automated cGMP Compliant Closed Cell Culture System for reproducible de-differentiationof human somatic cells into iPSCs. To commercialize Biopico's "CellsMX" system, optimization of closedmedia exchange system and integration of customized mRNA/ media formulation front-end forreprogramming will be performed in this Phase II research. The CellsMX system will provide qualityassurance to the customers for mass production under cGMP guidelines, as operating license are issued tobiological entities along with how cells are produced, tested, and released for therapeutic use. Further, even,if a large number of patients need iPSC-based personalized cell therapies, under CellsMX closed system,patient cells are not cross-contaminated and the system can be deployed at the point of care avoiding highcosts and risks associated with the transportation, logistics, tracking, and recording. While patient-specificiPSC strategy's reduction of immunologic stimulus will drive the initial market segment for the CellsMXsystem, Biopico will develop a suite of products for several of such therapeutic culture processes.

Public Health Relevance Statement:
Narrative The stem cells can address diseases such as cancer or damaged or dysfunctional organs using tissues or cell therapies. The enormous transplant waiting lists results in many people die awaiting transplants. Further, to provide stem cells as a viable source of replacement cells to treat diseases, the manufacturing costs are presently not affordable keeping public expectations unrealistic. Biopico's CellsMX reprogramming platform can address these issues to generate large number of iPSC and supply cells for stem cell banking or stem cell therapy applications.

Project Terms: