MONROVIA, Calif. & TOA BAJA, Puerto Rico--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CytoImmune Therapeutics, a clinical-stage immunotherapy company that is developing a novel class of engineered natural killer (NK) cell-based cancer therapies, today announced the opening of the Company’s clinical cell manufacturing facility in Toa Baja, which was celebrated with a visit from the Governor of Puerto Rico, Pedro R. Pierluisi. The Secretary of Economic Development and Commerce, Manuel Cidre, and the Mayor of the municipality, Bernardo “Betito'' Márquez, were also in attendance during the opening of the facility.
“In Puerto Rico we have the talent, the resources and the potential for this type of biotechnology company to successfully establish operations here. The opening of this new facility shows our commitment to this investment which has a direct effect on job creation and economic development. This investment impacts all of Puerto Rico and the patients in the trials,” said Governor Pedro R. Pierluisi.
“We chose Puerto Rico to develop and manufacture these innovative cancer treatments based on the significant scientific capabilities of our local talent and the decades of experience on the island in biopharmaceutical manufacturing. Our goal is to create cellular immunotherapies for patients to recognize and kill cancer cells. The work by the Company here holds the potential to positively impact patients around the world," said José Eduardo Vidal, Ph.D., Chief Operating Officer of the company.
CytoImmune is leveraging proprietary, robust and well characterized natural killer (NK) cell expansion and engineering technologies to advance its tumor-reactive NK (TRACK-NK™) cell therapies for patients with cancer. The cells are engineered to directly attack cancer cells and broadly stimulate both the innate and adaptive arms of the human immune system through the potent release of interleukin 15, enabling robust and specific tumor killing. The CytoImmune clinical cell manufacturing facility in Toa Baja is custom designed to support all manufacturing needs for the Company’s cell therapies, allowing the Company to accelerate the research and development efforts.
“The early investment in our manufacturing capabilities will accelerate our clinical trials with collaboration between our clinical teams and the supply chain management. Further, developing this internal expertise in manufacturing also shortens the time needed to advance our newest innovations from the laboratory bench to patients,” explained Christina Coughlin M.D., Ph.D., CEO of CytoImmune Therapeutics, Inc.
“Just over a year ago we announced the establishment of Cytolmmune Therapeutics Puerto Rico and today we are glad to be witnesses of its opening in Toa Baja. This operation will be the first on the Island whose purpose is to conduct research, development and manufacturing in the 37,000 square-foot facility. A main part of our economic development strategy relies on innovation in the biopharmaceutical sector, where research and development are in the front line. Thank you for being part of Puerto Rico’s transformation and for trusting our capable workforce”, expressed Manuel Cidre, secretary of the Department of Economic Development and Commerce.
About CytoImmune Therapeutics:
CytoImmune Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel cancer immunotherapy products designed to utilize the power of the engineered cells to activate the patient’s immune system to eliminate cancer cells. The company is advancing a differentiated pipeline of off-the-shelf NK cell therapies, using proprietary, robust and well characterized NK cell expansion and engineering technologies that are designed to provide effector cell therapy with broad immune stimulation, to enable effective tumor killing in both solid tumors and hematologic malignancies. For more information, please visit Cytoimmune.com
