Catalent to Acquire RheinCell Therapeutics
Catalent has announced plans to acquire RheinCell Therapeutics, a German developer and manufacturer of GMP-grade human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), a type of cell that can be differentiated into various cell types to address a wide range of therapeutic indications.
The CDMO based in the US state of New Jersey said the acquisition will build on its own custom cell therapy process development and manufacturing capabilities and enable it to offer the building blocks to scale iPSC-based cell therapies while reducing entry barriers to the clinic.
Financial details of the transaction, which is due to be completed by the end of 2021 subject to customary conditions, are not being disclosed. All of RheinCell’s current employees will join Catalent’s Cell & Gene Therapy business.
Catalent’s latest acquisition fuels the “extraordinary growth” of its cell and gene therapy business and the expertise and deep knowledge in iPSC cell lines that RheinCell brings will immediately boost its cell therapy portfolio, said Manja Boerman, president of Catalent Cell & Gene Therapy. The combination with RheinCell will allow the US company to offer iPSC banks to its customers as a premium source for their therapeutic development pathway, she added.
Since its founding in 2017, RheinCell, based in Langenfeld, near Düsseldorf, has invested a significant amount of research and development into full GMP human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-matched cell banks with superior genomic integrity, in addition to building up development-scale operational capabilities.
Jürgen Weisser, RheinCell’s CEO, said management is convinced that Catalent will be able to substantially accelerate his company’s future growth and help to support international customers interested in its GMP-grade iPSC lines and iPSC-based services to feed their development pipelines.
Since 2020, Catalent has invested in its cell therapy capabilities with four strategic expansions at its Gosselies, Belgium, campus, which is also the location of its European Center of Excellence for cell and gene therapy. Together with its US cell and gene therapy facilities across the US states of Texas and Maryland, the company said it continues to increase its clinical and commercial-scale manufacturing capabilities across the full range of activities.
Author: Dede Williams, Freelance Journalist
