News & Activities » ProBio Signs Collaboration Agreement with Cell Resources Corporation, a Subsidiary of Alfresa Holdings Corporation for Cell Therapy Development

ProBio Signs Collaboration Agreement with Cell Resources Corporation, a Subsidiary of Alfresa Holdings Corporation for Cell Therapy Development

(Left) ProBio COO, Daniel Wang and (Right) Cell Resources Corporation President Kotaro Arita

On February 1st, 2024, ProBio, A global multimodality CDMO and Cell Resources Corporation (CRC), a subsidiary of Alfresa Holdings Corporation, signed a collaboration agreement for cell therapy development, aiming to offer comprehensive CDMO services for preclinical development and GMP manufacturing of various cell therapy products in Japan.

ProBio will provide CDMO services for a range of gene vectors to CRC and its clients in joint projects, including plasmids and plasmid derivatives, lentiviral vectors, retroviral vectors, and mRNA. CRC will supply final cell therapy products (CAR-T, TCR-T, CAR-NK etc.) to its clients, leveraging its robust cell CDMO services. This partnership will expedite the delivery of cell therapy products to patients at a more affordable cost.

The CEO of ProBio Li Chen stated that the company is pleased to partner with Cell Resources Corporation and Alfresa Holdings Corporation, to offer a comprehensive solution for patients from vectors to cell therapy products. This collaboration will speed up the advancement of cell therapy and facilitate the seamless production of qualified and affordable cell therapy products for treating patients, both in Japan and worldwide.

The President of CRC Kotaro Arita said, The collaboration agreement signed will establish a system to provide customers with comprehensive services from the development of regenerative medicine and other products utilizing a series of gene vectors to the manufacture of investigational drugs and final commercial products. Together with ProBio, the collaboration will help customers reduce their research and development costs and shorten the time to market for their medicines.

The President & Representative Director of Alfresa Holdings Corporation Ryuji Arakawa said, The conclusion of this agreement is a very important alliance that will strengthen our functions from development to manufacturing processes in the total supply chain service for regenerative medicine and other products that we aim to provide. With the cooperation of ProBio, the Group will contribute to the industrialization of gene and cell therapy, mainly through Cell Resources.

About ProBio

ProBio, a subsidiary of GenScript Biotech Corporation, offers end-to-end CDMO services from drug discovery to commercialization with proactive strategies, professional solutions and efficient processes in CGT, vaccine and antibody protein drug, aiming to accelerate drug development for customers. ProBio has established companies in the United States, the Netherlands, South Korea, and China (Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Nanjing) and other regions to serve global customers, and has helped customers in the United States, Europe, Asia Pacific and other regions obtain more than 70 IND approvals since October 2017.

About Alfresa Holdings Corporation

Alfresa Holdings Corporation (TSE:2784). is the holding company of the Alfresa Group. The Alfresa Group is a leader in the Japanese healthcare industry and is dedicated to making its corporate philosophy, “we create and deliver a fresh life for all,” come true through a wide range of business lines, including ethical pharmaceuticals wholesaling, OTC pharmaceuticals wholesaling, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and operating dispensing pharmacies. Alfresa Holdings Corporation reported consolidated revenue of ¥2.6 trillion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023. For more information, please see: https://www.alfresa.com/eng/

About Cell Resources Corporation

Cell Resources Corporation, a subsidiary of Alfresa Holdings Corporation, is engaged in the provision of domestically produced cellular raw materials (master cells) and the manufacture of cellular products, both in-house and in other countries, under the philosophy of "bringing the hope of regenerative medicine to all people". The company is building a system to provide highly efficient, high-quality contract manufacturing services of regenerative medicine products to the gene and cell therapy market at a lower cost. For more information see the website. https://cellresources.co.jp/