Teknova, Pluristyx announce collaboration over next-generation cell therapies

Alpha Teknova (TKNO) and Pluristyx announced that the companies are collaborating to produce and commercialize Pluristyx’s PluriFreeze product line, a cryopreservative and cell wash media system intended for use by customers who are developing next generation allogeneic cell therapies. Teknova is a leading producer of critical reagents for the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel therapies, vaccines, and molecular diagnostics, while Pluristyx is a leading provider of induced Pluripotent Stem Cells, including immune evading and safety-switch enabled iPSCs, and other innovative technologies designed to shorten the development lifecycle of tomorrow’s cell therapies. Through their development of iPSCs, Pluristyx recognized the critical importance of cellular biopreservation across the cell therapy workflow. In the process, the company identified a novel cryopreservation formulation for the systematic freezing of cells that streamlines the manufacture of cell products. Pluristyx launched the PluriFreeze product line as a protective wash paired with a cryopreservative designed to simplify the scale-up process for companies working to bring allogeneic cell therapies to market. The collaboration between Pluristyx and Teknova will enable wider customer access to PluriFreeze by making Teknova the exclusive manufacturer and distributor in the United States and Canada. “We’re excited to announce our collaboration with Pluristyx, a true innovator in the development and commercialization of revolutionary cellular therapies,” said Stephen Gunstream, Teknova’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “By coming together, we’re able to marry Teknova’s operational and commercial scale with their novel cryopreservation solution. Getting the PluriFreeze products into our customers’ hands will help them streamline the manufacture of allogeneic cell therapies as they move from research, to process development, and into clinical manufacturing.”