GAITHERSBURG, Md. and YOKOHAMA, Japan, Aug. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- MaxCyte, Inc. and Medinet Co., Ltd. announced today that Medinet will begin commercializing a novel cell engineering approach, utilizing MaxCyte's cell loading technology, on its cancer immunotherapy services in Japan. The new approach to cancer immunotherapy is expected to achieve increased efficacy compared to the method which Medinet has been providing. In August of 2007, both parties signed an exclusive license, development and supply agreement to use MaxCyte's proprietary cell loading system to support clinical studies and commercialization of Medinet's cancer immunotherapy service in Japan. Under terms of the agreement, MaxCyte provides the exclusive right to utilize its proprietary technology in the closed-system manufacturing of Medinet's immuno-cell therapy service in multiple cell processing centers across Japan. The manufacturing process of the immunotherapy will be based on optimized protocols developed under the MaxCyte-Medinet collaboration announced in August, 2006.
About Medinet
Medinet is a world leading company in cell therapy, supporting medical service providers in Japan. Through its service, Medinet provides medical institutions with advanced technologies and know-how in: cell processing and culturing, quality control, and facility management with respect to the immuno-cell therapy. Medinet has extensive experience in autologous cell processing; with more than 7,500 cancer patients treated in actual clinical practice through more than 60,000 cell therapy manufacturing processes. Medinet continues to invest in R&D to improve cell processing technologies in an effort to increase efficacy in collaborative clinical studies with university hospitals and medical institutions. Medinet went public in October, 2003 on the MOTHERS, Tokyo Stock Exchange.
For more information, visit http://www.medinet-inc.co.jp/english/
About MaxCyte
MaxCyte is the leader in providing clinical/commercial cell modification technologies and unparalleled expertise to the global leaders in cell-based therapies. MaxCyte's cell transfection technology platform enables the discovery, development, manufacturing and delivery of innovative and important therapeutic products for a wide range of diseases.
MaxCyte's licenses its cell modification technology to companies developing cell-based therapies and sells instruments and disposables to leading biopharmaceutical companies for drug discovery. Current clinical programs with MaxCyte-engineered cells include: a Phase IIa clinical study for treatment of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) and a Phase IIa study using engineered stem cells for the treatment of primary Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH). In addition, there are advanced preclinical programs in oncology and regenerative medicine. More than a dozen commercial and academic partners are currently using the MaxCyte technology. The MaxCyte system has an FDA Master File in place at the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER). Building on its core technology and relationships, new opportunities are being pursued in the development of first-in-class targeted therapies for cancer, autoimmune and infectious diseases. MaxCyte intends to develop these programs to the proof-of-concept stage and then enter into co-development agreements with biopharmaceutical companies.
For more information, visit http://www.maxcyte.com.
CONTACT: Kiyoshi Yokokawa of Medinet Co., Ltd., +81.45.478.0041; or
Douglas A. Doerfler of MaxCyte, Inc., +1-301-944-1620
Web site: http://www.maxcyte.com/
http://www.medinet-inc.co.jp/english/