ROCKVILLE, Md. and PHILADELPHIA, July 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MaxCyte, Inc., (Nasdaq: MXCT; LSE: MXCT), a leading, cell-engineering focused company providing enabling platform technologies to advance the discovery, development and commercialization of next-generation cell-based therapeutics and to support innovative, cell-based research, and Vittoria Biotherapeutics (Vittoria), a leading edge, gene-edited cell therapeutics company with novel platform technologies poised to develop a pipeline of highly differentiated cellular therapies for both oncology and immunology indications, today announced the signing of a strategic platform license (SPL) of MaxCyte’s Flow Electroporation® technology and ExPERT™ platform to Vittoria Biotherapeutics.

Under the terms of the agreement, Vittoria will obtain non-exclusive clinical and commercial rights to use MaxCyte’s Flow Electroporation® technology and ExPERT™ platform. In return, MaxCyte is entitled to receive platform licensing fees and program-related revenue.

Vittoria’s technology and clinical programs are designed to address current gaps with contemporary cell therapies and the Company is planning to file an investigational new drug application (IND) for their lead program, Viper 101, later this year. Viper 101 is a gene-edited, autologous, dual-population cell therapy developed from Vittoria’s proprietary Senza5™ platform that addresses significant unmet therapeutic need for the treatment of T-cell lymphoma. Vittoria’s patent-protected Senza5™ platform technology is designed to improve the viability, efficacy, and safety of CAR-T treatments by modulating a novel checkpoint pathway in engineered T-cells. Senza5™ CAR-T cells have demonstrated superior anti-tumor efficacy in both liquid and solid tumor preclinical models and utilize a proprietary five-day manufacturing process.

“Working with partners to produce best-in-class solutions that accelerate the development of novel therapies to improve patient outcomes is central to our company’s mission” said Doug Doerfler, President and Chief Executive Officer of MaxCyte. “Through our partnership with Vittoria, MaxCyte has gained an opportunity to further validate and showcase our technology in a real-world setting and expand its footprint in the promising field of CAR-T therapies. We look forward to supporting Vittoria’s efforts to improve efficacy and enhance safety of T-cell therapies.”

“At Vittoria, our goal is to deliver next-generation T-cell therapies designed to improve patient outcomes by enhancing the overall clinical utility and safety of engineered cell therapies,” said Nicholas Siciliano, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Vittoria. “MaxCyte's experience with clinical grade manufacturing of gene-edited cellular therapeutics will greatly enhance the robustness and reproducibility of our manufacturing process, ensuring that each batch of our CAR-T cells meets the highest standards of consistency and quality. This is an important step forward as we work to develop the next generation of cellular therapies to benefit patients.”

MaxCyte’s ExPERT™ instrument portfolio is the next generation of leading, clinically validated electroporation technology for complex and scalable cell engineering. By delivering high transfection efficiency, seamless scalability and enhanced functionality, the ExPERT™ platform delivers the high-end performance essential to enabling the next wave of biological and cellular therapeutics. Vittoria is MaxCyte’s 22^nd SPL overall.

About MaxCyte

At MaxCyte, we pursue cell engineering excellence to maximize the potential of cells to improve patients’ lives. We have spent more than 20 years honing our expertise by building best-in-class platforms, perfecting the art of the transfection workflow, and venturing beyond today’s processes to innovate tomorrow’s solutions. Our ExPERT™ platform, which is based on our Flow Electroporation® technology, has been designed to support the rapidly expanding cell therapy market and can be utilized across the continuum of the high-growth cell therapy sector, from discovery and development through commercialization of next-generation, cell-based medicines. The ExPERT family of products includes: four instruments, the ATx™, STx™, GTx™ and VLx ™; a portfolio of proprietary related processing assemblies or disposables; and software protocols, all supported by a robust worldwide intellectual property portfolio. By providing our partners with the right technology, as well as technical and regulatory support, we aim to guide them on their journey to transform human health. Learn more at maxcyte.com and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

About Vittoria Biotherapeutics

Vittoria Biotherapeutics, Inc. (https://vittoriabio.com) is a leading edge, gene-edited cell therapy company with novel platform technologies exclusively licensed from the University of Pennsylvania. Vittoria’s technology and clinical programs are designed to address current gaps with contemporary cell therapies and its pipeline benefits from access to novel gene editing technologies. The Company is on track to file an IND in mid-2023 for their lead program, Viper 101. Viper 101 is a gene-edited, autologous, dual-population cell therapy that addresses a significant unmet therapeutic need for the treatment of T-cell lymphoma. Vittoria’s gene-edited platform technology has demonstrated superior anti-tumor efficacy in both liquid and solid tumor preclinical models and utilizes a proprietary “short” (5-day) manufacturing process. To learn more, visit vittoriabio.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

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