San Diego CDMO Performance Cell Manufacturing has been acquired by private equity firm Great Point Partners and will operate as Cellipont Bioservices.  

Performance Cell Manufacturing (PCM), a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) that has manufactured cell therapies for more than fifteen years, has been acquired by Great Point Partners (GPP) for an undisclosed fee.

This is the latest move in a series of CDMO investments by GPP, which includes Cytovance Biologics, MaSTherCell (later acquired by Catalent in February 2020), Tergus Pharma, and Bionova Scientific (the latter began constructing a 36,000 square-foot manufacturing facility in Fremont, California in July 2020).

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“The Cellipont Bioservices team continues to demonstrate their ability to deliver for clients with an unwavering commitment to quality as its top priority,” said Noah Rhodes, managing director at GPP.

He continued: “Across their process development and manufacturing services, the team shares both scientific depth and a steadfast dedication to client service. We were impressed with the business from the first meeting that we had with founder Bob Harman, and we look forward to supporting the Cellipont team as it expands its offerings to help deliver promising new cell therapies to patients.”

Rebranding

Under the terms of the deal, PCM will be rebranded as Cellipont Bioservices and has appointed Deborah Wild as president and CEO.

“As we shift into the next chapter of the company’s existence, we felt rebranding was important to reflect the essence of our team and mission,” said Wild.

“By combining ‘cell’ with the Latin root for bridge (pont), the name Cellipont Bioservices reflects the several reflects several dimensions of our vision.”

Will James will serve as CFO and Carolyn Wrightson will remain in her position as COO.