[Edaily Reporter Kim Seung-kwon ] #Xcell Therapeutics Inc. (hereinafter “Xcell”), a company specializing in chemically defined media for cell and gene therapies (CGT), announced on the 30th that it will embark on joint research and development of stem cell-based cell therapies with the “Sir Martin Evans Plaza,” located in the Beidaihe Life and Health Industry Innovation Pilot Zone in China.

This collaboration is part of a strategic partnership aimed at penetrating the Chinese CGT market. Xcell Therapeutics Inc. plans to jointly develop standard stem cell culture processes and a high-quality cell therapy manufacturing platform based on its chemically defined media.

The Beidaihe Life and Health Industry Innovation Pilot Zone is the only national-level life and health innovation pilot zone in northern China, established with the approval of the State Council of China. As a regulatory special zone that actively supports the research, development, and clinical application of cutting-edge overseas medical technologies and cell and gene therapies, it is regarded as a leading innovation hub for China’s biotech industry alongside the Hainan Medical Special Zone in southern China. It holds such high symbolic significance in the industry that the phrase “Hainan in the south, Beidaihe in the north” is commonly used.

The Martin Evans Center, where this joint research is being conducted, is a leading cell therapy research institute in the Beidaihe Innovation Pilot Zone and operates a regulatory-approved stem cell research and production platform—a facility possessed by only a very small number of institutions in China. It features a cGMP cell manufacturing facility spanning approximately 3,139 square meters, an integrated cell bank with a capacity of 160,000 units, and the capacity to produce more than 50,000 doses of standardized cell products annually. The center is also working to establish a national-level cell application platform covering the fields of stem cells, immune cells, and functional medicine.

Notably, the Martin Evans Center is led by Professor Sir Martin J. Evans, the 2007 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine, who serves as its Chief Scientist. Martin Evans is a world-renowned life scientist regarded as a pioneer in embryonic stem cell research; he is recognized as a leading authority in the field of stem cells, having served as a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) and as Vice-Chancellor of Cardiff University.

Through this collaboration, the two institutions plan to jointly pursue the following initiatives: △ development of a standard stem cell culture process based on MSC CD AOF; △ development of an application process for functional enhancement of stem cells using MSC CD AOF; and △ development of a manufacturing process for disease-specific extracellular vesicles (EVs) based on EXO CD AOF.

Dr. Cao Ning of the Martin Evans Center stated, “Excel is a company with extensive research experience and world-class technological capabilities in the fields of culture medium development and cell culture,” adding, “As China’s CGT industry enters a phase of standardized development, the importance of chemically defined media in cell therapy manufacturing processes is growing. We plan to further expand the scope of our collaboration with Excel through this joint research.”

Kim Jong-wan, Executive Vice President of the Development Support Division at Xcell Therapeutics Inc., remarked, “This collaboration is highly significant as it allows us to advance next-generation cell therapy research alongside the Martin Evans Center, which possesses world-class research capabilities.” He added, “Through close cooperation with the leading research institution in the Beidaihe Life and Health Industry Innovation Pilot Zone, we will contribute to the expansion of standardized cell culture platforms centered on chemically defined media in the Chinese CGT market.”