Cell Therapy Research and Development

Cell therapy is a treatment that uses genetically modified or un-modified viable cells to replace or repair damaged tissue and/or cells. The unique intrinsic features of cell therapies offer the potential for enhanced efficacy against disease. Cells can naturally migrate, localize, and proliferate in specific tissues or compartments. Therefore, therapies based on cells hold the advantages of potential biological distribution and targeted delivery. In addition, cells can actively sense a variety of external inputs from small molecules, cell-surface proteins, and even physical forces. Thus, cell-based therapies have highly sophisticated sensory and response functions, which can dynamically track disease states and implement the activation of an intrinsic response or the expression of therapeutic transgenes. Because of the ability of cells to persist in vivo, consume nutrients, and influence the external environment by producing secretory factors, cell-based therapies could be used to maintain long-term endogenous drug delivery. Cell therapy can be divided into stem cell- and non–stem cell-based unicellular or multicellular therapies. The autologous and allogeneic cells are typically developed for cell therapies, involving genetic engineering or manipulations in formulation.

Stem Cell Therapies

Stem cells are unspecialized, self-regenerating cells that can differentiate into any cell type or multiple cell types. Developmental potency determines the range of cell types that stem cells can differentiate into, and thus stem cells can be categorized into totipotent, pluripotent, multipotent, and unipotent. Stem-cell therapy is a novel therapeutic approach that utilizes the unique properties of stem cells to regenerate or replace damaged cells and tissues in the body. Stem cells used in cell therapies under development include induced pluripotent stem cells, embryonic stem cells, adult stem cells, and cancer stem cells.

Amerigo Scientific provides GMP-grade small molecules, cytokines, growth factors, and matrix for the development and manufacturing of stem cell therapy. We also provide lipid-based transfection reagents and cell reprogramming tools for stem cell research.

Non–stem Cell Therapies

Non-stem cell therapies typically utilize somatic cells isolated from the human body to be propagated, expanded, selected for therapeutic, preventive, or diagnostic purposes. A variety of somatic cells are developed for cell therapies, such as fibroblasts, chondrocytes, keratinocytes, hepatocytes, islet cells, and immune cells. Somatic cells are highly specialized and should be further manipulated prior to reintroduction into human bodies. Adoptive cell therapy, also known as cellular immunotherapy, is one form of non-stem cell therapies, which utilizes modified peripheral or tumor-resident immune cells to generate an immune response against the tumor. Types of adoptive cell therapies include tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy, tumor-specific T-cell receptor (TCR) -modified T cell therapy, and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy.

Amerigo Scientific provides primary cells, cytokines, and enzymes for the development of non-stem cell therapies. Our CRISPR/Cas enzymes are efficient gene editing tools for engineering immune cells to express TCR or CAR.

Scaffold-based Cellular Products

Scaffold-based cellular products are engineered technologies that deliver different cell types seeded within 3D biocompatible tissue analogues. Biodegradable natural or synthetic scaffolds such as bovine collagen, hydrogels, sponges, with complex porous networks can provide an ideal, physiochemical mimetic of native extracellular matrix, which can be utilized for cell growth or cellular interactions to form new functional tissues. The scaffolds are usually designed to be conveniently included into conventional cell culture workflows.

Amerigo Scientific provides cell culture scaffolds with different materials and functions for the development of cell-based therapies.

Other Tools for Cell Therapy Development

Cell culture is central to the processes of cell therapy development and manufacturing, which involves key steps including isolation, expansion, identification, harvest, cryopreservation, etc. Amerigo Scientific provides cell culture media and reagents, cell isolation tools, and instruments for cell culture and processing.