Kincell Bio Launches with $36M to Make Cell Therapy Development and Manufacturing Accessible for Early-Stage Innovators

Cell therapy CDMO spins out of Inceptor Bio to help innovators develop and manufacture life-saving cell therapies

Kincell to be led by CEO Dr. Bruce Thompson

Shailesh Maingi, founder of Kineticos Ventures and Inceptor Bio, joins as chair of the Board

RALEIGH, N.C., and GAINESVILLE, Fla., July 26, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Kincell Bio, a technology-forward contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) focused on cell therapies, today emerged from stealth with $36 million in new funding. Kineticos Ventures led Kincell’s launch funding.

Kincell is a spinout of Inceptor Bio’s CMC, manufacturing and quality organizations formed to accelerate innovator research and clinical trials. Kincell acquires a facility and a fully staffed team based at its Gainesville site, with plans to grow in Gainesville, as well as in additional key markets, such as Research Triangle Park (RTP), Boston and other customer locations.

Kincell offers analytical development, process development, CMC consulting and early-stage GMP manufacturing focusing on immune cell therapies, including autologous and allogeneic Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR)-T, CAR-NK and CAR-M programs. The Company plans to establish in-house mRNA development and additional GMP manufacturing capacity while forging trusted partnerships for viral vector and plasmid DNA supply to support all cell engineering processes.

Shailesh Maingi, founder of Kineticos Ventures and of Inceptor Bio, will serve as chair of the Kincell Board of Directors.

“Kincell represents a significant step forward in bridging the gap between laboratory research and clinical development of cell therapies,” said Mr. Maingi. “By addressing the manufacturing challenges faced by early-stage innovators, Kincell is playing a vital role in accelerating the progress of cell therapy innovation. We are excited to support their mission to make cell therapy manufacturing more accessible and streamlined, ultimately bringing life-changing treatments to patients in need.”

Kincell will be led by Chief Executive Officer Bruce Thompson, Ph.D., who will also serve on the Board of Directors. Dr. Thompson brings over 20 years of CMC strategy, product development and cell therapy manufacturing experience, with previous cell and gene therapy manufacturing and development leadership positions at National Resilience, Inc. (Resilience), Lyell Immunopharma, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and Pfizer.

“Kincell is at the forefront of innovative cell therapy manufacturing, and I am honored to lead this exceptional team. Our mission is to enable early-stage biotech companies to bring their life-changing therapies to patients by providing accessible and high-quality manufacturing services,” said Dr. Thompson. “With our technology-forward approach and focus on immune cell therapies, we are poised to accelerate the advancement of cell therapies from bench to bedside. I am excited about the potential impact we can make in the field and look forward to collaborating with our partners to drive innovation and improve patients’ lives.”

For more information, visit www.kincellbio.com.

About Kincell Bio
Kincell Bio engineers cells into therapies. Headquartered in Gainesville, Fla., Kincell is a technology-forward contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) formed to streamline analytical development, process development, CMC consulting and early-stage GMP cell therapy manufacturing. Kincell’s initial focus is on manufacturing commercially viable immune cell therapies, including autologous and allogeneic CAR-T, CAR-NK and CAR-M programs. For more information, visit www.kincellbio.com.

About Kineticos Ventures
Kineticos Ventures’ portfolio of investments is made up of biotechs and life science services companies striving to disrupt how drugs are developed, diseases are diagnosed, and patients are treated. The Kineticos Ventures fund focuses on significant, unmet medical needs in oncology, neurosciences, and rare diseases. In addition to targeting these disease states with patients in need, we look for companies utilizing disruptive technologies such as cell and gene therapy, gene editing, and mRNA/RNAi, all technologies dramatically changing how medicine is practiced.

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6 Degrees
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