Cryoport has opened a new facility at its integrated supply chain campus in Houston, Texas, to develop its IntegriCell™ cryopreservation services solution.
IntegriCell is a standardised bioprocessing, cryopreservation, and distribution solution for the global cell and gene therapy market. The platform is designed to enhance cell therapy manufacturing and flexibility to support lifesaving treatments.
The new facility will specifically focus on the standardised cryopreservation of leukapheresis material. The new offering will be integrated into Cryoport’s temperature-controlled supply chain platform.
Read more: How Cryoport stays ahead in delivering cell and gene therapies
Jerrell Shelton, CEO of Cryoport, described the news as an important milestone in the company’s commitment to provide integrated supply chain solutions to support the advancement of cell and gene therapies.
“We believe the IntegriCell platform will provide medical researchers, clinical developers, and regenerative therapy manufacturers with the industry’s first complete solution for delivering optimised cellular starting materials using systematic bioprocessing and cryopreservation protocols.”
“This will accelerate the delivery of these cell therapy treatments to patients and open up additional revenue streams for our company with new and existing customers.”
Cryoport’s Houston site also supports GMP-compliant biostorage and a full suite of bioservices, including secondary packaging, labelling, kit production, and logistics capabilities.
The Houston campus incorporates all Cryoport’s business units, including Cryoport Systems, CRYOGENE, CRYOPDP, and MVE Biological Solutions, providing an unmatched range of services from a central location.
The cell and gene market opportunity
According to Nova One Advisor, the global cell and gene therapy market size was valued at $18.13bn in 2023 but is expected to reach around $97.33bn in 2033, growing at a CAGR of 18.3% from 2024 to 2033.
The life sciences industry requires a robust shipping system, at cryogenic temperatures that can handle the risks associated with transporting high-value commodities such as advanced therapies. Slight temperature deviations can render the commodity ineffective, and minor physical damage can also damage its usability.
With so much at stake, advanced therapy developers and manufacturers need an advanced packaging system that can maintain consistent temperatures to deliver raw materials, viral vectors, and gene therapies in perfect condition.
Speaking at the GAWDA Spring Management Conference earlier this year, Scott Rummans, Vice-President of US Packaged Gases at Linde, and Jeff Holyoak, Vice-President of Sales and Market Development at TOMCO Systems, identified cold chain supply as a ‘megatrend’.
Speaking at the three-day event, Holyoak said, “The cell and gene space is a great opportunity because when you transfer these therapies, it has to be done one unit at a time, and there are high volumes of product.”
He added, “This has been new in the last ten years, but over the next decade you will see a huge transition in the biomedical space to these cell and gene therapies.”
