Xcell Biosciences and Royal Perth Hospital Partner to Develop Next-Generation Automated TIL Manufacturing Workflow
Xcell Biosciences Australia PTY LTD (Xcellbio), an affiliate of Xcell Biosciences, Inc., a leading platform company specializing in cell and gene therapy applications, has announced a strategic collaboration with Royal Perth Hospital. This partnership aims to develop an automated, clinical-scale manufacturing workflow for tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapies using the cutting-edge AVATAR™ Foundry system. The initiative is designed to enable Royal Perth Hospital’s physicians and clinical researchers to rapidly manufacture potent TIL therapies for use in clinical trials, advancing the hospital’s ability to treat solid tumors effectively.
The Promise of TIL Therapies
TIL therapies are an innovative form of cellular immunotherapy that have shown significant potential in treating a variety of solid malignant tumors. The field saw a major breakthrough in 2024 with the first FDA approval of a TIL-based therapy, further validating its therapeutic value. TILs are naturally occurring immune cells found within tumors, where they recognize and attack cancer cells. By harvesting, expanding, and reinfusing these cells into patients, clinicians can boost the immune system’s ability to fight cancer.
Despite their promise, TIL therapies face significant manufacturing challenges. These treatments require the production of tens of billions of therapeutic cells to reach sufficient clinical potency. Current manufacturing methods are complex, requiring several weeks of manual, labor-intensive processing. These inefficiencies result in long treatment timelines and high costs, limiting patient access to these life-saving therapies.
The Role of the AVATAR™ Platform in Streamlining TIL Production
To address these challenges, Xcellbio has developed the AVATAR™ platform, an advanced system designed to expedite TIL therapy development and manufacturing. The platform incorporates proprietary incubation technology that enhances the metabolic fitness of TILs. This improvement leads to a potent and persistent therapeutic product, better equipped to combat the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. Additionally, the AVATAR Foundry system is designed to support current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) protocols in a fully automated format, ensuring standardized and scalable production.
Dr. Zlatibor Velickovic, Director of the Ray and Bill Dobney Cell and Tissue Therapies WA facility at Royal Perth Hospital, emphasized the importance of this collaboration, stating:
“At Royal Perth Hospital, we are dedicated to exploring cutting-edge approaches for cell therapies to enable the best care for our patients. We are excited to team up with scientists at Xcellbio to develop a much-needed automated workflow for TIL manufacturing and to implement the AVATAR Foundry system as the newest technological innovation in our center.”
Key Objectives of the Collaboration
Through this partnership, Xcellbio scientists will work closely with the Royal Perth Hospital team to develop an automated, clinical-scale TIL manufacturing process based on the AVATAR platform. This system will aim to achieve critical milestones in cell quality, quantity, and potency to ensure that the therapies meet rigorous clinical standards. The resulting workflow will be integrated into Royal Perth Hospital’s cell therapy facility, where it will support upcoming clinical trials exploring TIL-based treatments.
James Lim, Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer at Xcellbio, underscored the significance of the project:
“The emerging therapeutic class of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes is incredibly exciting, particularly for solid tumors. However, current manufacturing processes require long expansion times and high cell doses to be effective in patients. The AVATAR platform will reduce manufacturing time while increasing therapeutic potency, making TIL therapy a more accessible and viable treatment option.”
The Broader Impact of TIL Automation
By pioneering automated TIL manufacturing, this collaboration is set to reshape cancer immunotherapy in Australia and beyond. The ability to streamline and scale TIL production will allow more patients to benefit from these therapies, particularly those with aggressive or treatment-resistant solid tumors.
Brian Feth, Co-Founder and CEO at Xcellbio, emphasized the broader implications of this collaboration:
“TILs provide an incredible use case for our technologies, and this collaboration with the fantastic team at Royal Perth Hospital is an opportunity to expand access to these life-saving therapies. We are pleased to join forces with this group to improve TIL manufacturing and make these critical treatments a more feasible option for patients in Australia and, ultimately, around the world.”
Future Steps and Long-Term Goals
The development and implementation of an automated TIL manufacturing workflow at Royal Perth Hospital is expected to set a precedent for other institutions looking to optimize their cell therapy capabilities. This collaboration also aligns with global efforts to reduce bottlenecks in cell therapy production, making treatments faster, more affordable, and widely available.
As the collaboration progresses, Royal Perth Hospital and Xcellbio will continue refining the AVATAR Foundry system to meet the highest clinical standards. The success of this initiative could pave the way for broader adoption of automated TIL manufacturing, potentially influencing regulatory frameworks and commercialization strategies in the field of cancer immunotherapy.
