Multiply Labs has developed a new robotic biomanufacturing cluster that achieves a 74% cost reduction for life-saving cell therapies.
This breakthrough, published in peer-reviewed studies with UCSF, leverages collaborative robot arms from Universal Robots (UR), promising to transform how these complex treatments are produced.
As UR’s first official partner in the cell and gene therapy sector, Multiply Labs’ robotically automated manufacturing processes will significantly expand patient access to therapies currently priced between $300,000 and $2 million per dose.
“Historically, cell and gene therapy manufacturing has been manual, almost artisanal," says Fred Parietti, CEO of Multiply Labs.
Unlike mass-produced drugs, personalised cell therapies, often used to treat blood cancers such as lymphoma and leukaemia, require a customised dose derived from each patient's own cells, making large-scale production impossible.
A single microbial contamination renders the entire product unusable, leading to costly manufacturing failures.
A quantum leap in cell therapy manufacturing
Multiply Labs' modular ‘robotic biomanufacturing cluster’ features multiple UR robot arms working in parallel, stacked floor-to-ceiling with collision avoidance, handling the entire cell therapy manufacturing process.
This system faithfully replicates manual processes with enhanced efficiency, repeatability, and sanitary conditions.
Beyond cost savings, the robotic system drastically improves space utilisation, says Parietti, citing up to 100 times more patient doses per square foot of cleanroom compared with a typical manual process. Quality and sterility are also significantly enhanced.
"Robots don't breathe and they don't touch stuff they're not supposed to touch," says the Multiply Labs CEO.
Universal Robots was chosen after a suite of tests
Multiply Labs chose Universal Robots for their robotics cluster after closely evaluating several different collaborative robots, says Head of Robotics at Multiply Labs, Nadia Kreciglowa.
“UR was chosen due to their crucial six-axis capabilities, unrivalled force mode for delicate handling, seamless software integration, robust community support and cleanroom compatibility.”
According to Jean-Pierre Hathout, President, Universal Robots, the new partnership illustrates the profound impact of collaborative automation in the healthcare space.
“By empowering Multiply Labs to replicate intricate manual processes with high precision and scale, our cobots are redefining efficiency in pharmaceutical manufacturing,” he says.
“More importantly, it’s driving significant cost reductions while broadening access to life-saving treatments. At its core, this partnership is a testament to how robotics can elevate human capability and serve critical needs in medicine.”
“This will change the way we think about the manufacturing of these bespoke, custom cell and gene therapies for patients,” says Parietti.
“We will ultimately improve patient access globally by lowering manufacturing costs, enabling distributed production worldwide of these life-saving therapies.”