The Future of Cell Therapy for Thermo Fisher & Novo Nordisk

Thermo Fisher Scientific and the Novo Nordisk Foundation Cellerator are collaborating to enhance operational excellence in the Cellerator's new GMP facility and innovation hub. Set to open in 2027 at the Technical University of Denmark, this facility is a key component of their shared vision to revolutionise cell therapy.

The partnership aims to advance cell therapy, which involves transplanting healthy cells to treat patients with chronic or life-threatening conditions such as type 1 diabetes, kidney disease and Parkinson's. This collaboration could potentially usher in a new era of innovative pharmaceutical drugs and solutions, leading to improved patient outcomes.

Thermo Fisher and Novo Nordisk celebrate partnership

Representatives from both Thermo Fisher and the Novo Nordisk Foundation Cellerator convened in October to commemorate this partnership. The event featured a keynote address by Dr. Kapil Bharti from the National Institutes of Health.

“Thanks Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Medicine – reNEW for inviting me to present our work,” he said.  

This initiative addresses one of the most significant challenges in cell therapy research: the scarcity of appropriate facilities. By establishing this state-of-the-art hub, the collaboration aims to accelerate progress in this promising field of medical research.

Cell therapy is an advancing medical field with the potential to not only treat symptoms but also cure chronic and life-threatening diseases such as chronic heart failure and cancer. However, many promising cell therapy candidates fail to reach clinical trials due to a lack of facilities capable of manufacturing cell therapy products in large, consistent quantities.

The Novo Nordisk Foundation Cellerator aims to address this gap by providing state-of-the-art laboratory facilities dedicated to further developing tested cell therapies and manufacturing them consistently and at scale for early clinical trials. 

It will also offer services such as GMP manufacturing, process development, regulatory support and product release.

Given the exploratory nature of cell therapy, the hub is designed with built-in flexibility to adapt to changing demands in terms of therapy types and services. Located at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), the Cellerator team will work closely with DTU during both construction and operational phases, leveraging the university's extensive expertise in cell manufacturing and related technologies.

The Cellerator will serve public and private clients from academia, biotech, and the global pharmaceutical industry. This initiative is driven forward by the partnership between Thermo Fisher Scientific and Novo Nordisk, building on their successful collaboration over the past three years, particularly in enhancing pharmaceutical manufacturing for Novo Nordisk's diabetes and obesity treatments.

Thermo Fisher boosts Novo Nordisk's biologic production, advancing cell therapy 

Thermo Fisher Scientific has leveraged its bioprocessing and manufacturing expertise to assist Novo Nordisk in significantly expanding production capacity and enhancing biologic production efficiency. The company provided Novo Nordisk with specialised equipment, including chromatography systems, bioreactors and purification systems, which have optimised production scalability and efficiency.

This collaboration has enabled Novo Nordisk to accelerate timelines, improve production flexibility and mitigate contamination risks for its diabetes medications. Thermo Fisher has also contributed to the automation and digitalisation of Novo Nordisk's key manufacturing processes by integrating its automation and data analytics solutions.

As a result, Novo Nordisk has achieved streamlined quality control, reduced manual errors, enhanced monitoring capabilities and more consistent product outcomes. The Novo Nordisk Foundation Cellerator team, led by CEO Thomas H.R. Carlsen, has focused on fostering connections with researchers, manufacturers and other cell therapy development facilities.

Through their collaboration and the establishment of the new GMP Innovation hub, Thermo Fisher and Novo Nordisk are jointly contributing to advancements in cell therapy and broader pharmaceutical manufacturing, paving the way for a more promising future in these fields.

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