Oct 02, 2023
Alain Herrera appointed Emercell CMO
Following the selection of the NK-001 project as part of France 2030 plan “Biotherapies and bioproduction of innovative therapies" in June 2023, Emercell is entering an important stage of its development, which should lead to the start of a first-in-human trial next year. In this context, we are very happy to announce the recent appointment of Dr. Alain Herrera, as Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Emercell. Alain will be instrumental in shaping up our clinical roadmap and securing a Clinical Trial Application (CTA) submission. Alain is already serving as General Manager and Chairman of the Board of Emercell.
Alain, Hematologist and Medical Oncologist, brings over 35 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry with a strong focus on hematology and oncology drug development and marketing. He was head of the global oncology franchise at Sanofi Aventis until 2008, where he contributed to the worldwide registration of a number of major cancer drugs. Since 2020, he has been working at Onward Therapeutics, Emercell’s parent company, as co-founder, member of the Board and CMO.
Patrick Henno
To know more about Alain, please click here
Jul 24, 2023
Emercell NK-001 project selected as part of France 2030 plan “Biotherapies and bioproduction of innovative therapies"
Emercell is very honored to have been selected recently by the French government to receive financial support for its cell-therapy project NK-001 aimed at treating cancer. This non-dilutive support will be a mix of grants and reimbursable cash advances.
Emercell project, which spans from CMC, preclinical to clinical, was recommended by an independent expert committee for its high quality. The ambition of the project is fully in line with the objectives of the Health Innovation Agency plan to produce at least 20 new biomedicines by 2030. The project will be financed through the France 2030 “Biotherapies and bioproduction of innovative therapies” acceleration strategy.
“We are very proud and excited to have been selected by the French authorities, as a contributor to the Biotherapies and bioproduction of innovative therapies strategy”, said Patrick Henno, President of Emercell, “Bpifrance’s financial support, which complements Onward Therapeutics funding, will help to scale up and manufacture NK cells with our partner Cell-Easy, a CDMO based in Toulouse, and to conduct the preclinical studies and the first-in-human trial.”
Sep 22, 2022
Emercell and Cell-Easy Sign a Strategic Agreement for the Scale-up and Manufacturing of NK-001
MONTPELLIER, France, and TOULOUSE, France, September 22, 2022. Emercell SAS (Emercell) and Cell-Easy SAS (Cell-Easy) announced today the signing of a strategic agreement for the scale-up and manufacturing of Emercell’s lead product.
Emercell has developed a platform technology to produce off-the-shelf natural killer (NK) cells. NK cells are highly potent immune effectors, used alone as monotherapy, or in combination with therapeutic antibodies, or are genetically engineered to produce Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR)-NK cells for the treatment of hematological malignancies and solid tumors. NK-001 is an optimized cell therapy product composed of highly activated and alloreactive allogeneic NK cells. Its patented manufacturing process allows a complete industrialization by using the same batch of NK cells for multiple patients.
Cell-Easy is an analytics-driven Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) specialized in the production of Gene-modified Cell and Cell Therapy products. Cell-Easy’s facilities are located in Toulouse including state-of-the-art controlled environment suites optimized for developing manufacturing and analytical processes, proceed to environmental and material Quality Control, and execute cGMP manufacturing, fill & finish, long-term storage of Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs) compliant with all the requirements of regulatory standards and cGMP guidelines.
Emercell has selected Cell-Easy as a long-term CDMO partner for the scale-up and manufacturing operations of its allogeneic NK cell-based product, with the objective to enter clinical phase in 2023. Emercell has signed a strategic agreement with Cell-Easy specialized in the development and production of ATMP.
“We are very pleased to collaborate with Cell-Easy on the final stages of development and GMP manufacturing of our flagship product, NK-001“, said Patrick Henno, President of Emercell.” We are looking forward to a successful and long-lasting collaboration as a key element of our development strategy. Moreover, Cell-Easy and Emercell are located in the Occitanic Region and the partnership fits perfectly with the Region’s objectives regarding the development and production of new products in the field of biotherapies, and particularly in the field of immunotherapy.
In a very competitive European landscape, we are delighted that Emercell has chosen us as their privileged CDMO Partner for their first immune-oncology approach using NK-cells”, said Guillaume Costecalde, President of Cell-Easy. “Cell-Easy CDMAO’s original approach and the team’s reactivity combined with our state-of-the-art facility allow us once again to convince ambitious ATMP developers such as Emercell to secure their development.”
About Emercell
Emercell is an oncology company developing a platform technology to produce off-the-shelf allogenic natural killer (NK) cells. The company's R&D activities are located at the IRMB (Institute of Regenerative Medicine and Biotherapies) at the Saint-Éloi University Hospital Center, Montpellier, France. Emercell's lead drug candidate, NK-001, is intended, among others, for the treatment of lymphoma patients who are refractory to conventional therapies. It is a patented process for pre-activating and amplifying allogeneic NK cells. Emercell collaborates with numerous industrial and academic partners. The company has received the support of the Occitanie Region (ADI) and Bpifrance and has obtained a FUI (financing). Emercell is a member of Eurobiomed.
About Cell-Easy
Cell-Easy developed a unique vision of CDMO dedicated to the production of Cell and Gene modified Cell Therapy products. This integrated concept is called CDMAO. Beyond CDMO, CDMAO is not only focused on Development & Manufacturing. CDMAO is positioned as a real partner for helping Biotech & Pharma to bridge the gap between preclinical and clinical development with in-depth expertise on regulatory process scale-up and analytics.
Cell-Easy offers customized process development, process scale-up, cGMP manufacturing and unique analytical services for immune cells (engineered CAR-T, NK, …cells, and non-engineered cells) and adult stem cells (MSCs, iPSCs and Exosomes) both in Immuno-Oncology and Regenerative Medicine fields.
Cell-Easy is a trusted partner and brings today the infrastructure and know-how while ensuring your projects are delivered on time and budget. Supported by highly motivated and experienced people in the Cell Therapy field, Cell-Easy is committed to driving service excellence and actively contribute to a “Bench to Bedside” culture, putting the healthcare of patients at the center of everything.
CONTACT: Media and Investor Contacts:
Emercell, Dr. Patrick Henno, President, patrick.henno@emercell.com, (+33)-6-14-77-39-21
Cell-Easy, Dr. Guillaume Lay, Business Development, Guillaume.lay@cell-easy.com, (+33)-6 15 18 13 13
News & Events
Emercell and Cell-Easy Sign a Strategic Agreement for the Scale-up and Manufacturing of NK-001
Sep 22, 2022
EMERCELL Signs Strategic Partnership with Onward Therapeutics for the Development of its NK Cell Therapy Technology
Feb 17, 2021
Onward Therapeutics Made a Second Strategic Equity Investment in Emercell for Their NK Cell Technology in Cancer Immunotherapy
Jun 20, 2022
Emercell NK-001 project selected as part of France 2030 plan “Biotherapies and bioproduction of innovative therapies"
Jul 24, 2023
Feb 17, 2021
Emercell Signs Strategic Partnership with Onward Therapeutics for the Development of its NK Cell Therapy Technology
MONTPELLIER, France- Emercell, a biotechnology company developing immunotherapies and cell-based therapies for oncology targets through to pharmaceutical development, announces the signature of a strategic partnership with Onward Therapeutics. The significant investment, of a confidential amount, will be made in three instalments that will allow Emercell to reach the first human clinical trials.
"We are delighted to partner with Onward Therapeutics, whose teams have recognized expertise in the development of new drugs in oncology and with whom we have strong synergies. Their participation is a recognition of our expertise and will allow us to accelerate our development," said Patrick Henno, founder and Chairman of Emercell.
“We are pleased to collaborate with Emercell to scale up their patented process of activation and amplification of the allogeneic NK cells for clinical development,” said Dr. C. Grace Yeh, Chairman and CEO of Onward. “Accessing to the highly activated NK cells allows Onward to explore their potentials for improved efficacy in the immunotherapy for cancer patients.”
During the last few years, Emercell, with the support of the Italian company Bioline diagnostici, has developed and patented, in partnership with the University Hospital of Montpellier, the University of Montpellier and Inserm, a process for the production of a therapeutic tool composed of NK cells. EMERCell is now focusing on the development of its first product, NK-001, a new innovative therapy drug (ATMP) for the treatment of cancer.
About Onward Therapeutics
Onward Therapeutics is a development stage oncology company, focusing on the identification and development of innovative medicines for the treatment of cancer.
About Emercell
Emercell was created in February 2013 and is located at the IRMB (Institute of Regenerative Medicine and Biotherapies) at the Saint-Eloi University Hospital Center, Montpellier, France. One of Emercell's lead drug candidates, NK-001, is intended for the treatment of CD20-positive lymphomas in patients refractory to conventional therapies. It is a patented process for pre-activating and amplifying the effects of allogeneic NK (Natural Killer) cells. EMERCell collaborates with numerous industrial and academic partners. The company has received the support of the Occitanie Region (ADI) and Bpifrance and has obtained a FUI (financing). EMERCell is a member of Eurobiomed.
Jun 20, 2022
Onward Therapeutics Made a Second Strategic Equity Investment in Emercell for Their NK Cell Technology in Cancer Immunotherapy
Onward Therapeutics SA (Onward Therapeutics) and Emercell SAS (Emercell) announced today the recent exercise of Onward Therapeutics' second of three instalments of equity investment in Emercell. With this investment, Onward Therapeutics has become Emercell's majority shareholder.
Emercell has developed a platform technology to produce off-the-shelf natural killer (NK) cells. NK cells are highly potent immune effectors, used alone as a monotherapy, or in combination with therapeutic antibodies, or are genetically engineered to produce Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR)-NK cells for the treatment of hematological malignancies and solid tumors. NK-001 is an optimized cell therapy product consisting of highly activated and alloreactive allogeneic NK cells. Its patented manufacturing process allows full industrialization using the same batch of NK cells for multiple patients.
"This second equity investment in Emercell confirms that the NK-001 project has been advancing well since our first equity investment in February 2021, and we will be able to scale up and industrialize the production of activated NK cells rapidly, to offer new treatments for cancer patients," said Dr. C. Grace Yeh, Chairman and CEO of Onward Therapeutics.
"We are pleased that the collaboration with Onward Therapeutics has reached another critical milestone. Their investment allows us to pursue the NK-001 project and focus on the production of clinical batches," declared Dr. Patrick Henno, Founder and CEO of Emercell. "We can also start looking at further optimizing our production process for NK cells and exploring other potential new cell therapies," commented Dr. Alain Herrera, Chairman of the board of Emercell.
About Onward Therapeutics
Onward Therapeutics is an oncology company focusing on the identification and development of innovative medicines for the treatment of cancer. The Company, led by an experienced team in translational science and drug development, acquires licenses for potential development candidates and invests in partners with transformative technology platforms. Onward Therapeutics licensed a preclinical stage bispecific antibody (OT-A201) targeting two immune checkpoints from Biomunex Pharmaceuticals SAS, Paris, France; has an exclusive option to a worldwide license agreement for an onco-metabolism program with Institut du Cancer de Montpellier (ICM); and collaborates with Emercell SAS, Montpellier, France, in the development of NK-001, allogenic natural killer cells. In addition, the Company invested in Biomunex Pharmaceuticals SAS for their multi-specific antibody platform, and in Emercell SAS for their NK cell technology. The company is headquartered at Biopôle (a life sciences campus in Epalinges), near Lausanne, Switzerland, has an affiliate in Paris, France, and an office in Taipei, Taiwan.
About Emercell
Emercell is an oncology company developing a platform technology to produce off-the-shelf allogenic natural killer (NK) cells. The company's R&D activities are located at the IRMB (Institute of Regenerative Medicine and Biotherapies) at the Saint-Éloi University Hospital Center, Montpellier, France. Emercell's lead drug candidate, NK-001, is intended, among others, for the treatment of lymphoma patients who are refractory to conventional therapies. It is a patented process for pre-activating and amplifying allogeneic NK (Natural Killer) cells. Emercell collaborates with numerous industrial and academic partners. The company has received the support of the Occitanie Region (ADI) and Bpifrance and has obtained a FUI (financing). Emercell is a member of Eurobiomed.