In September, Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies announced the Advanced Therapy Manufacturing and Innovation (ATMI) Grant 2020 for the Asia-Pacific region, with the goal of supporting novel research using the company’s Quantum® Cell Expansion System.
The Advanced Therapy Manufacturing and Innovation (ATMI) Grant 2020 for the Asia-Pacific region was announced in September this year by Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies. The grant, which comprises an award of up to USD 50,000, is targeted at researchers and clinicians from the Asia-Pacific region who are exploring new and novel applications of the Quantum® Cell Expansion System developed by Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies.
Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies is a company specialising in blood component, therapeutic apheresis (the removal of whole blood from a donor and exclusion of blood components before returning the blood to circulation) and cellular technologies. They specialise in producing equipment that collects and processes blood and cells, and their products are used for medical treatment in addition to research applications. For instance, their technologies have been used for the safe and efficient production of blood components to alleviate large blood loss in accidents or for surgeries. In addition, therapeutic apheresis can be used to treat blood diseases such as leukaemia, and their blood separation technology is employed for the study of cellular functions of donors’ blood for cell therapy.
The Quantum® Cell Expansion System consists of an automated platform meant to streamline processes of cell culture, with the aim of being able to achieve optimised workflows personalised to each cell type, and to automate cell culture maintenance. This would provide researchers with the advantage of increased reproducibility and scalability of their experiments, as well as reduce the hassle associated with maintaining cell lines manually.
The ATMI Grant 2020 was established with a goal to develop processes and promote novel applications of cell and gene therapy manufacturing, to uncover innovative methods of improving clinical manufacturing. Recipients of the grant will collaborate with Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies in research over one year, and will be provided with one Quantum® device, along with a maximum of 12 single-use sets for their research.
“The field of cell and gene therapy is growing rapidly and is constant evolving,” says Dr. Yu Lei, an expert in gene therapy and Chief Executive Officer of UniCAR-Therapy Bio-Medicine Technology Co. of China. “Scientists can help advance their pursuit of innovation through collaboration, learning and exchange opportunities. I look forward to bright talents applying for the ATMI Grant 2020, enabling breakthrough research from our region.”
Lei Li, Vice President of APAC Commercial for Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies, says: “The cell and gene therapy space in Asia-Pacific is witnessing an unprecedented growth in tandem with global trends. Through the ATMI Grant 2020, we are harnessing the potential seen across the Asia-Pacific region. This inaugural grant forms part of our broader strategies that include research and development investments into robust manufacturing and performance-focused solutions to ultimately touch patients’ lives.”
The ATMI Grant 2020 welcomes applications from universities, research institutes, academic centres, hospitals and biotechnology companies in the Asia-Pacific region. Applications for the ATMI Grant 2020 close on 17 November 2020. [APBN]