VivaBioCell

VivaBioCell S.p.A. operates at the intersection of biotechnology and medical device manufacturing, focusing on automated systems for Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs).

The company originated in 2004 as a spin-off from the University of Udine in Italy, born from an idea to advance cell culturing techniques. Professor Francesco Curcio, who served as President and Chief Scientific Officer, was a key figure in the company's journey, leveraging a long-standing research collaboration of over 20 years with Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong in the field of stem cells. A significant milestone was reached on June 22, 2015, when VivaBioCell was acquired by NantCell (now part of ImmunityBio, NASDAQ: IBRX), a subsidiary of Dr. Soon-Shiong's NantWorks group. This acquisition integrated VivaBioCell into a larger ecosystem focused on biotech and healthcare AI, accelerating its growth.

The core of VivaBioCell's business is the development, manufacturing, and commercialization of automated systems designed to standardize and scale the production of cell therapies. The company's business model revolves around selling these proprietary bioreactor systems and associated software to biotech companies, research institutions, and clinical manufacturing facilities. These clients are engaged in producing cell therapies for various medical applications. The automated, closed-system environment of VivaBioCell's products aims to reduce manufacturing costs and the risk of contamination compared to manual processes.

VivaBioCell's product portfolio includes the 'NANT 001' and 'NANT XL' bioreactor systems, which automate the entire cell culture process from plating and feeding to monitoring and harvesting. These systems are designed to be GMP-compliant and allow for continuous monitoring, with features like image-based cell confluency estimation. In 2021, the company launched 'NANT Maestro', a software platform for centralized management and monitoring of multiple bioreactor units. These systems are utilized in processes for creating MSC-based therapies for osteoarthritis in Europe and for producing cells to treat acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in the U.S.

Keywords: cell therapy manufacturing, automated bioreactors, advanced therapies, regenerative medicine, tissue engineering, cell culture automation, ATMP manufacturing, GMP-in-a-box, ImmunityBio, NantWorks, mesenchymal stem cells, osteoarthritis therapy, ARDS treatment, clinical applications, university spin-off, Francesco Curcio, Patrick Soon-Shiong, NANT 001, NANT XL, NANT Maestro