Programming Living Cells at Scale to Make Cell Therapies Available to More Patients: Dr. Thomas Eaton, Limula

It sounds like science fiction but it is pure science: you can – in one dose – treat a terminal patient to complete remission. We are speaking cell therapy and CAR T cell therapy.The problem is, there is a very limited number of doses that can be currently manufactured in the world. And my guest and his colleagues are here to change that dramatically.You’ll hear today about:a bioreactor compared to an espresso machine – adjust a few elements to get the coffee or cell therapy you wantCAR T cell therapy – how are they manufactured today and how to make them available to more patientsa vision of cell therapies prescribed to a patient in a clinic and manufactured for the patient at the same clinic – and how far we are from it3 chemists and 3 elements a startup needs to successfully bring a product to market.Dr. Thomas Eaton is a co-founder of Limula. With a background in chemistry and material sciences he’s embraced a change-maker’s career from global corporates to startups.Limula is a Swiss startup offering a modular platform for on-demand and at-scale manufacturing of personalised cell therapies. In essence their hardware the size of a cupboard holding a bioreactor can replace a whole lab building.You may find out more about Limula at https://limula.ch/Timestamps:0:00 Cell Therapy for Blood Cancers10:54 Cell Therapy Manufacturing Challenges and Solutions18:29 Automating Cell Therapy Manufacturing29:39 Looking for Problems to Solve Innovation Approach35:35 Going from Research to Business48:33 Funding in the Swiss Startup Environment53:13 Why Failure is Not an Option57:33 Celebrating Milestones and Overcoming Hurdles1:04:24 Follow Limula, follow X-Health.show, Disclaimer If you've enjoyed listening, you'll make us happy by clicking "Follow" on X-Health.show and leaving a review.The information in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. If you have any medical questions, please consult your healthcare practitioner. The opinions on the show are Alex's or her guests. The podcast does not make any responsibility or warranties about guests statements or credibility. While the podcast makes every effort to ensure that the information shared is accurate, please let us know if you have any comments, suggestions or corrections.