SaxoCell

Fraunhofer IZI is part of the SaxoCell consortium.

The concept for a Saxon future cluster on “living medical products” was selected for implementation together with six other projects from a total of 137 applicants in the “Clusters4Future” innovation competition of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). Over the coming years, this consortium will develop new fields of application and production methods for gene and cell therapeutics. The aim is to produce cells with precisely defined functions and a high safety profile for safe clinical use on an industrial scale and at socially acceptable costs in order to enable a realistic and sustainable economic model with high value-added potential for the region. 

Fraunhofer IZI contributes its competences in the field of cell technologies, in particular, the development and production of genetically modified immune cells (e.g. CAR NK cells and CAR T cells). Both AAV-based gene transfer technologies and non-viral methods, such as the Sleeping Beauty transposon technology, are used in this. In addition, pharmaceutical productions processes are being developed and established, e.g. for an antibody-modified stem cell transplant (Palintra®). These will then be evaluated in clinical studies (phases I/II). Fraunhofer IZI contributes its experience in the collection and biostatistical analysis of cell and molecular biological datasets to the SaxoCellOmics technology platform.

Spokesperson

Prof. Dr. Dr. Ulrike Köhl
Fraunhofer IZI & University of Leipzig Medical Center

Prof. Dr. Ezio Bonifacio
Technische Universität Dresden