ThermoGenesis has leased a facility in Sacramento, California to house its newly launched CDMO cell therapy business TG Biosynthesis. 

ThermoGenesis (formerly known as Cesca Therapeutics), which provides cell processing tools and services to the cell and gene therapy sector, is bolstering its offering by creating a cell therapy production division.  

The firm will deliver contract development manufacturing organization (CDMO) services under the name TG Biosynthesis. To create this, ThermoGenesis entered into a license and technology agreement with Boyalife Genomics, a China-based CDMO.

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“Cell therapies have become the ‘next pillar’ of medicine, and we plan to leverage our […] automated and semi-automated cell processing technologies, including the CAR-TXpress platform, to expand from a device company to one focused on providing world-class CDMO services,” said Chris Xu, CEO at ThermoGenesis.  

“We are eager to begin this process, with the intent that our new, TG Biosynthesis division will combine our existing in-house expertise and technology with that obtained through our license agreement, to develop a proprietary cell manufacturing platform – providing valuable solutions for clients with therapeutic candidates in various stages of development.” 

Under terms of the agreement with Boyalife, ThermoGenesis will be provided with a US license “to certain existing and future know-how and other intellectual property relating to cell manufacturing and related processes.” 

Boyalife will receive a running royalty of 7.5% of its annual net sales of products and services that are covered by one or more of its granted US patents as well as a royalty of 5% of other products and services covered by further licensed intellectual property.  

Space in Sacramento  

ThermoGenesis has also entered into a lease agreement with Z3 Investment, effective from April 1, 2022, for around 35,475 square feet of laboratory and office space in Sacramento, California.  

The firm claims the site will create approximately 100 jobs in the area and will be built-out to be a current good manufacturing practice (cGMP) compliant plant with 12 clean room suites.