Partnering with Universal Cells, an Astellas Company, to Advance Next-Generation iPSC-Derived Cell Therapies for Solid Tumors

We're excited to announce a research collaboration with Universal Cells, an Astellas company, to optimize next-generation induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cancer cell therapies.

This collaboration leverages Ginkgo's cell engineering and screening platform to enhance the potency and persistence of Universal Cells' iPSC-derived immune cell, and underscores Ginkgo's capacity to deploy high-throughput biological approaches to tackle the complex challenge set associated with development of therapies targeting solid tumors.

iPSC-derived cell therapies have the potential to transform cancer care by offering scalable, 'off-the-shelf' treatment options. However, bringing efficacious therapies to patients requires robust design and screening processes to improve persistence in the patient to enable durable clinical responses. By combining Universal Cells' proprietary iPSC-derived cell technologies with Ginkgo's expertise in design and screening large CAR libraries and its high throughput, multimodal immune cell engineering platform, the companies aim to accelerate the development of more potent and durable cell therapies while maintaining manufacturability at scale.

Ginkgo's approach leverages computational tools, deep expertise in library assembly and screening, and rigorous statistical analysis and biological insight to help partners discover and engineer optimal therapeutic designs with greater speed and precision. Ginkgo's platform capabilities extend across multiple dimensions of cell therapy development, including chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) discovery and optimization, armoring strategies for enhanced cell survival and persistence, and gene editing tools for immune cell engineering. Ginkgo employs high-throughput pooled and arrayed screening methods that enable the simultaneous testing of numerous CAR designs from transcriptome to cell function. This approach facilitates discoveries that aim to improve immune cell persistence and functionality.

"We're excited to embark on this collaboration, which represents a significant milestone for Ginkgo as we expand our cell therapy portfolio," said Jason Kelly, CEO and co-founder of Ginkgo Bioworks. "Teaming up with Universal Cells, part of Astellas, allows us to bring our comprehensive immune cell engineering capabilities to a highly respected, global pharmaceutical leader. We look forward to working together to optimize iPSC-derived allogeneic cell therapies that have the potential to improve patient outcomes and reshape how we treat solid tumors."

"Cell therapies hold immense promise, but realizing their full potential requires innovation at every step, from design to delivery," said Dr. Narendra Maheshri, VP, Genetic Medicines at Ginkgo Bioworks. "Our platform enables partners to rapidly explore the functional impact of a large number of CAR designs simultaneously, and then iterate to further refine those designs. By applying this approach with Universal Cells, we aim to help accelerate CAR approaches, opening up new possibilities in the fight against cancer."

To learn more about how you can leverage Ginkgo's capabilities in cell therapy and gene editing - from CAR-T to CRISPR and beyond - click here.