Automation of Cell Therapy Cryostorage Processes and Future Manufacturing Facilities

Cell therapy manufacture is currently labour intensive, which presents a significant barrier to the growth of the industry. This project will introduce new manufacturing processes in to the industry which will drive down costs, improve quality and open up new markets. The project will develop and demonstrate key technology components required to automate the storage and retrieval of sample vials from multiple large capacity cryogenic storage devices (operating at temperatures down to -190oC) in such a way as to significantly increase retrieval throughput compared to current manual methods. The key outputs from the project will be: Design of a modular integrated architecture, and demonstration of the benefits in terms of throughput and asset utilisation, whilst also reducing the significant risks to the quality of product and operators using the current processes; Creation of modelling and simulation toolsets that enable new efficient manufacturing systems and infrastructure to be developed; The definition and specification of a “Next Generation” facility capabable of handling 100,000+ doses of critical cell therapy medicine per year.