CellFE secures $22 million in Series A financing to advance microfluidics-based cellular engineering platform
- Financing led by M Ventures, with participation from GreatPoint Ventures, Riverine Ventures and existing investors Cota Capital, Dynamk Capital, Elm Street Ventures, Embark Ventures, EGB Capital and Khosla Ventures
- Novel microfluidics-based cell engineering platform for ex-vivo cell transfection enabling efficient, flexible, and consistent payload delivery, superior cell health and streamlined workflows for seamless scalability from research to manufacturing
- Funding to advance the development of CellFE’s technology platform and support the company’s market launch and continued growth initiatives
ALAMEDA, Calif., Sept. 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — CellFE Inc., www.cellfebiotech.com, a life sciences tools company developing a microfluidics-based cell engineering platform dedicated to transforming the development and manufacturing of advanced cell therapies, today announced the completion of a $22 million Series A financing led by M Ventures, with participation from Great Point Ventures and Riverine Ventures as well as existing investors Cota Capital, Dynamk Capital, Elm Street Ventures, Embark Ventures, EGB Capital, and Khosla Ventures.
The continued clinical and commercial success of advanced biologic therapeutics, such as engineered cell and gene therapies, is driving substantial growth opportunities in this emerging segment of life sciences. Therapy developers are forging partnerships with technology providers, such as CellFE, to advance innovative solutions, with the aim to benefit patients seeking better therapeutic options. CellFE’s innovative, non-viral, microfluidic cell engineering platform, Infinity MTx™ system, performs complex genetic cell editing through streamlined, advanced workflows. The platform ensures gentle cell treatment, rapid cell recovery, and superior yield of healthy cells, enabling unparalleled scalability and significant time and cost efficiencies in development and manufacturing. CellFE empowers therapy developers to accelerate the ongoing evolution of advanced cell therapies across a spectrum of therapeutic areas, unlocking a groundbreaking shift towards true decentralized and point-of-care manufacturing in the cell therapy sector. The launch of the Infinity MTx system at the recent ASGCT 2023 Annual Meeting elicited broad interest from top innovative cell therapy developers globally.
“With our clear path to help redefine cell therapy manufacturing, we are excited to have the backing of such esteemed investors who recognize the potential of our technology and the strength of our team,” said Alla Zamarayeva, CEO of CellFE. “Our vision of advancing the platform to a decentralized and point of care application will expand access to cell therapies for millions of patients.”
“While viral cell engineering methods have been dominating the industry to date, high costs, limited editing capabilities, regulatory hurdles, and safety concerns are driving a shift to non-viral methods. CellFE presents a unique technology platform addressing key industry pain points across viral, but also other non-viral methods,” said Christian Uhrich, Principal at M Ventures. “Offering efficient, flexible, and consistent payload delivery, superior cell health, user-friendly workflows, and process scalability from development to manufacturing, we believe the company offers a compelling value proposition for the increasing number of therapy developers seeking novel solutions. We are delighted to join the company that Alla and the CellFE team have built at this exciting time and to support the company’s future development, growth, and overall vision.”
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CellFE, Inc.
Alla Zamarayeva, PhD, CEO
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About CellFE
CellFE is an innovative microfluidics company, whose mission is to transform the development and manufacturing of lifesaving cell therapies to make them more accessible to patients. The company uses a microfluidic-based cell engineering platform with highest cell health and payload delivery, streamlined scalability and automated workflows. Platform benefits include increased cell yield and reduced expansion times that translate to drastically reduced vein-to-vein times and manufacturing costs currently associated with advanced cell therapies. CellFE is committed to enabling their partners’ success through close collaborations that aim to solve the challenges associated with the development and manufacturing of next generation cell therapies.
https://www.cellfebiotech.com/
About M Ventures
M Ventures is the strategic, corporate venture capital arm of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. From its headquarters in the Netherlands and offices in Germany, USA and Israel, M Ventures invests globally in transformational ideas driven by innovative entrepreneurs. Taking an active role in its portfolio companies, M Ventures teams up with management teams and co-investors to translate scientific discoveries into commercial success. M Ventures focuses on identifying and financing novel solutions to some of the most difficult challenges, through company creation and equity investments in fields that will impact the vitality and sustainability of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany’s current and future businesses.
http://www.m-ventures.com/
Original press release available here.