Preferred Partner Network (PPN) members will become Centers of Excellence for the IRO^® platform combining best-in-class technology with industry-leading development and manufacturing capabilities.

PHILADELPHIA and LONDON, United Kingdom, March 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Oribiotech Ltd. (Ori), a leader in cell and gene therapy (CGT) manufacturing technology, today announced the launch of its Preferred Partner Network (PPN), bringing together top academic medical centers (AMCs) and contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMOs) to deliver best-in-class solutions to accelerate development and commercialization of cell and gene therapies. The founding members of the Ori Preferred Partner Network in the U.S. include Charles River Laboratories, CTMC (a joint venture between MD Anderson Cancer Center and Resilience), ElevateBio, Kincell and other currently undisclosed partners.

For leading service providers developing and manufacturing cell therapies, PPN membership offers a unique opportunity to develop core expertise with the new IRO^® platform to accelerate cell therapy product development. This partnership approach helps ensure that Ori and their PPN partners remain at the cutting edge of cell therapy manufacturing innovation, offering access to proven, best-in-class solutions to meet the evolving needs of their shared customers.

“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. The PPN enhances the flexibility of therapy developers to choose both best-of-breed technologies and service providers to deliver on their program goals,” said Jason C. Foster, CEO, Ori Biotech. “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.”

PPN members gain preferred access to Ori innovations, including the IRO platform, which has demonstrated the ability to increase throughput, reduce costs of goods (COGs), and accelerate development timelines. IRO was designed to deliver flexible solutions by efficiently integrating with other best-in-breed upstream and downstream technologies providing a streamlined and closed workflow to achieve optimal clinical and commercial success.

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 will continue to ensure that therapy developer partners have access to both best-in-class technology and service partners in the U.S. and internationally to ensure the next generation of CGTs can realize their full clinical and commercial potential.

Partner Quotes:

“Ori’s mission mirrors our own: expedite the delivery of life-saving therapies to patients,” said Matthew Hewitt, B.A. PhD, Vice President, Chief Technology Officer, Manufacturing Business Division, Charles River. “By joining Ori’s Preferred Partner Network, we can support the advanced therapies industry by helping to drive the adoption of cutting-edge closed and automated platforms, and address manufacturing bottlenecks.”

“CTMC provides comprehensive solutions to our academic and biotech partners, enabling seamless translation from concept to clinic,” said 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.”

“ElevateBio is constantly evaluating innovative technologies that drive process improvements and efficiencies to complement the highly digital infrastructure we have built to scale across our facilities,” said Michael Paglia, Chief Technology Officer, ElevateBio BaseCamp. “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.” 

“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,” said Bruce Thompson, PhD, Chief Technology Officer, Kincell Bio. “Kincell Bio is excited to partner with Ori Biotech as they launch the IRO^® platform to help our partners and clients ensure their cell therapy products reach patients in need.”

For more information about the IRO platform, visit oribiotech.com/IRO.

About Ori Biotech
Ori Biotech is a London and Philadelphia-based manufacturing technology company on a mission to enable widespread patient access to life-saving cell and gene therapies. IRO^®, Ori’s next-generation manufacturing platform automates better biology, accelerates product development and enables therapy developers to scale their products’ clinical and commercial impact by seamlessly transitioning from R&D to GMP on one platform. The promise of the innovative Ori platform is to automate cell therapy manufacturing, increasing throughput, improving quality and decreasing costs by combining proprietary hardware, consumables, software, data and analytics.

Research Triangle Park, NC, Jaunary 20, 2025: Kincell Bio, a leader in cell therapy development and manufacturing, is excited to announce the appointment of Mark R. Bamforth as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective immediately. Mark, who has served as Chair of the Board since May 2024, brings decades of industry experience to the role and will play a pivotal part in advancing Kincell Bio’s mission to support innovators in the rapidly growing cell therapy sector.

Mark joins Kincell Bio with a wealth of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, having founded and served as CEO of three successful Contract Development and Manufacturing Organizations (CDMO): Arranta Bio, Brammer Bio and Gallus Bio. His deep understanding of the CDMO landscape and ability to develop strong partnerships to meet clients’ needs uniquely positions him to drive strategic initiatives that align with Kincell Bio’s mission of delivering high-quality, innovative solutions for clients. Previously, Mark spent 22 years at Genzyme Corp. including leadership of the global operations team, covering multiple modalities.

Bruce Thompson, PhD, will continue to provide technical leadership for Kincell Bio as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO), including leadership of the internal process and analytical development team, strengthening expertise in developing modalities, (e.g., allogeneic therapies, stem cell and iPSC-derived products), partnering with solution providers, providing thought leadership to the sector based on his extensive knowledge and experience, and supporting the commercial team under the leadership of Stewart McNaull, PhD, to develop technical solutions to meet the needs of clients.

“I look forward to building on the solid foundation that Bruce has established and working more deeply with him and the talented team at Kincell Bio to expand our cell therapy CDMO business to meet the development, clinical and commercial launch needs of clients from innovative biotechs to Fortune 500-backed companies that are developing solutions to address critical unmet needs for patients,” said Mark Bamforth.

“I am excited to partner with Mark to strengthen the technical development capabilities at Kincell Bio. We have built a strong team and will now be better positioned to meet the cell therapy needs of clients” said Bruce Thompson, PhD. “We are committed to expanding our process and analytical development capabilities through internal development and partnerships with technology and solution providers, to solve the challenges of scale, complexity and performance in the cell therapy sector.”

Kincell Bio provides industry-leading process and analytical development, and early clinical and late-stage clinical cGMP manufacturing capabilities that are serving the needs of biotech and pharmaceutical companies and is committed to advancing the field of cell therapy with tailored solutions that empower innovators to bring their therapies to market efficiently and effectively.

About Kincell Bio

Kincell Bio engineers cells into therapies. With manufacturing facilities located in Research Triangle Park, NC and Gainesville, FL, Kincell is a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) situated in the United States.  Kincell Bio’s mission is to streamline CMC development, with expertise in analytical and process development and GMP manufacturing, testing and release from early clinical to pivotal studies and product launch. Kincell Bio is focused on supporting innovative companies developing immune cell therapies, including autologous and allogeneic CAR-T, CAR-NK and CAR-M programs, as well as developing expertise in stem cell products and iPSCs. For more information, visit www.kincellbio.com.

For further information, please contact us via email at contactus@kincellbio.com 

Serial entrepreneur has created, built and sold three CDMOs

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – May 21, 2024 – Kincell Bio, LLC (“Kincell”), a technology-forward contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) focused on cell therapies, today announced the appointment of Mark R. Bamforth as the Company’s new Board Chairman. This strategic appointment further strengthens Kincell’s position as the Company continues to expand its capacity to provide high-quality support for the cell therapy market. Mr. Bamforth will replace the current Board Chairman, Shailesh Maingi, who will remain on the Board.

“In advanced biopharmaceutical manufacturing, Mark has a demonstrated ability to scale best-in-class CDMOs with high performing teams that have been market leaders in the cell and gene therapy, microbiome and monoclonal antibody sectors,” said Mr. Maingi. “As he takes on the role of Board Chairman at Kincell, his wealth of experience and strategic vision plus his commitment to scientific excellence, has the potential to propel the Company to new heights and to deliver cell therapies to clients and their patients.”

A serial entrepreneur with decades of experience building value in biotech, Mr. Bamforth has founded, built and sold three CDMOs. He currently invests in and mentors U.S.- and Scottish-based life science entrepreneurs in addition to serving as a general partner in an antimicrobial resistance fund. In May 2019, Mr. Bamforth founded Arranta Bio, an advanced therapeutics CDMO focused on the microbiome, plasmid and mRNA vaccines, which was sold to Recipharm in April 2022. Prior, he founded Brammer Bio, a best-in-class viral vector CDMO for cell and gene therapies that supported leading innovators. Brammer’s team grew six-fold, reaching over 600 employees at the time of its acquisition by Thermo Fisher Scientific in April 2019. In 2010, Mr. Bamforth founded a biologics CDMO, Gallus BioPharmaceuticals, and acquired a world-class facility and team with a commercial supply agreement with Janssen. The Company tripled through organic growth and merged with Laureate Biopharma, before being sold to DPx Holdings (Patheon) in 2014. Mr. Bamforth spent 22 years at Genzyme, with nearly a decade as a corporate officer leading the Company’s 12-site global manufacturing operation and a pharmaceutical CMO unit. He serves on the boards of Continuus Pharma, Pneumagen, Enterobiotix and Entrepreneurial Scotland. Mr. Bamforth has a BS in Chemical Engineering from Strathclyde University and an MBA from Henley Management College.

“I’m excited to leverage my experience to help guide the leadership team at Kincell as they continue expanding Kincell’s cell engineering footprint in the delivery of transformative healthcare solutions for clients. The Company’s dedication to innovation, process development and manufacturing excellence resonates deeply with me,” said Mr. Bamforth. “Together, we will accelerate the adoption of our clients’ cell therapies, harnessing the power of cutting-edge technology to revolutionize patient care through personalized medicine.”

About Kincell Bio

Kincell Bio, LLC (“Kincell” or the “Company”) engineers cells into therapies. The Company is a technology-forward contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) formed tostreamline analytical development, process development, CMC consulting and GMP manufacturing for cellular therapies. With facilities in Gainesville, Fla. to support early clinical supply production and in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina with a phase II/III facility to support late-stage development, Kincell’s focus is on the development and manufacturing of immune cell therapies, including autologous and allogeneic CAR-T, CAR-NK and CAR-M programs for clients. For more information, visit www.kincellbio.com.

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Media Contact

Gina Mangiaracina

6 Degrees

Email: gmangiaracina@6degreespr.com

eXmoor pharma, the full-service cell and gene therapy (CGT) manufacturing partner, and Kincell Bio, a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) focused on cell therapies, today announced the formation of a new global partnership for a breadth of advanced therapy manufacturing services. This partnership seamlessly brings together both companies’ CGT manufacturing capabilities in Europe and the US. Customers can now access a global development and manufacturing footprint in combination with the boutique customer-focused offerings of both companies.

Key collaboration features include:

• Vast Capabilities: The partnership promises a seamless fusion of their distinctive strengths, presenting a suite of services for both the U.S. and international CGT developers, such as:
  • Viral vector manufacturing
  • Autologous cell therapy (CAR-T, CAR-NK, CAR-M, iPSC-derived) manufacturing
  • Allogeneic cell therapy (iPSC-derived and MSC) manufacturing
  • Process and analytical development
  • Facility development consulting based on eXmoor’s experience designing over 30 CGT sites globally, providing customers the option to seamlessly transfer manufacturing in house
  • CMC development consulting, providing customers the right-first-time strategy for their clinical and commercial development
• Global Reach: Leveraging eXmoor’s and Kincell’s expansive networks and strategic locations, the alliance aims to swiftly penetrate global markets, meeting the increasing demand for cell and gene therapies.
• Innovative Facilities: This synergy is underscored by eXmoor’s state-of-the-art 65,000 sq. ft Cell and Gene Therapy Centre in the UK and Kincell’s 29,000 sq. ft. campus in Gainesville, Florida. These facilities will enable the manufacture of vectors in the UK, and of autologous and allogeneic cells in both the US and UK.

“We are responding to our customers’ desire to access the deep domain expertise and hands-on engagement from a specialist CGT CDMO while contracting with a single partner, for a global program,” said Angela Osborne, CEO of eXmoor. “Partners will have access to services associated with larger companies, like launching cross-Atlantic clinical trials, without sacrificing the personal attention each of our teams is known for.”

“We are thrilled to partner with eXmoor to support global opportunities. Through seamless interaction across two different geographies, we will leverage our combined expertise to help advanced therapy developers solve for a broad range of manufacturing requirements,” said Bruce Thompson, CEO of Kincell Bio. “This is an exciting time of growth for us, following our exit from stealth last month. As we have pivoted the team in Gainesville to manufacturing services, Kincell Bio has retained an innovative mindset. This will enable us to partner with clients across both geographies to accelerate product development, and give therapeutic innovator companies the best opportunity to get their live-saving therapies to market.”

About eXmoor pharma

eXmoor pharma is a one-stop cell-and-gene-therapy partner accelerating the manufacturing journey from research to patients. Founded in 2004, eXmoor has specialized in the CGT sector since 2007, helping organizations to understand, plan and implement the appropriate CMC strategy. eXmoor does this via its combination of GMP manufacturing capability and its translation and capital consulting groups, including process and analytical development labs. eXmoor has completed over 500 projects for 150 organisations and is headquartered in Bristol, UK, with 80 current employees, growing to 200 by 2027. To learn more: exmoorpharma.com.

About Kincell Bio

Kincell Bio engineers cells into therapies. With manufacturing facilities located in Research Triangle Park, NC and Gainesville, FL, Kincell Bio is a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) with the mission to streamline CMC development, apply expertise in analytical and process development and GMP manufacturing, testing and release from early clinical to pivotal studies and product launch. Kincell Bio is focused on supporting innovative companies developing immune cell therapies, including autologous and allogeneic CAR-T, CAR-NK and CAR-M programs, as well as developing expertise in stem cell products and iPSCs. For more information, visit www.kincellbio.com.

For further information, please contact info@kincellbio.com