Major breakthrough in T-cell receptor therapy manufacturing
Esme Needham | November 27, 2025 | News story | Manufacturing and Production | Terumo BCT, cell therapy
For the first time, researchers at the University of Chicago in the US have successfully completed all three critical steps in the manufacturing of T-cell receptor (TCR) therapy (TCR-T).
The team, led by Richard Koya, completed the three steps – activation, transduction and expansion – using a Quantum Flex Cell Expansion System bioreactor from Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies (Terumo BCT).
TCR-T is a form of immunotherapy when patients’ own T cells are engineered to express TCRs that precisely detect neoantigens generated by tumour cells. In the Chicago study, ten million peripheral blood mononuclear cells were activated, transduced with a gamma retroviral vector and expanded on Quantum Flex to around nine billion cells in ten days, all while maintaining high viability. The automated manufacture offered by the Quantum Flex platform could revolutionise TCR-T, cutting the costs and streamlining the efficiency of producing this highly complex therapy.
Koya, professor of medicine and director of cGMP vector development and production at the University of Chicago’s Cancer Center, said: “The ability to automate TCR-T cell processing end-to-end on a single bioreactor is a foundational advance in the evolution of cell therapy manufacturing.”
Mindy Miller, head of scientific development for cell therapy at Terumo BCT, said: “With Quantum Flex, we are building on our proven 3-in-1 CAR-T protocol to show the platform’s flexibility and applicability across multiple T-cell modalities. Industry analysts, including the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine, note that developers are prioritising proven, adaptable platforms that can support multiple cell types and scales, like the Quantum Flex.”
The Quantum Flex platform was created by Terumo BCT, a medical technology company specialising in blood- and cell-based treatments.
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