Elicera Therapeutics AB (publ) announced that a collaborative project with Vecura at Karolinska University Hospital and Uppsala University has been awarded SEK 850,000 from the Center for Advanced Medical Products (CAMP). The purpose of the project is to develop an automated production process of CAR T-cells (ELC-401) for use in clinical studies. CAR T-cell therapies are produced by extracting T-cells from the patient and modifying them in the laboratory so that they produce specific proteins on the surface, so-called chimeric antigen receptors, CARs.

Currently, this is done in a partially open process, which entails risks of contamination of the CAR T-cells. The production process will be developed in a research lab at Uppsala University, and tech-transferred to Vecura - a GMP manufacturing unit for advanced therapy medicinal products at Karolinska University Hospital. Elicera contributes by providing the research grade and GMP grade vector necessary for implementation.

The goal is to generate better quality of ELC-401 drug product, and reduce the lead time between extraction of T-cells and treatment with the finished CAR T-cells.