Collaboration Focuses on Automation and Scalable MSC Expansion to Support Clinical and Commercial Readiness
Lakewood, Colorado and TaipeiMay 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Terumo BCT, a medical technology company and global leader in blood management solutions, has entered into a strategic collaboration with Steminent Biotherapeutics aimed at accelerating process optimization and scalable manufacturing capacity for late-stage clinical production of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapies, addressing one of the key challenges in the clinical scaling and commercialization of regenerative medicine. The collaboration will focus on optimizing automated cell expansion processes to lay a solid foundation for the clinical development and future commercial production of Steminent’s late-stage MSC therapies.
Terumo BCT and Steminent Biotherapeutics Collaborate to Advance Late-Stage Clinical MSC Production
Currently, there are still relatively few approved MSC therapies globally, with overall clinical application and commercial progress remaining limited.1 A major challenge for widespread commercialization is the transition from highly manual production processes to automated, scalable manufacturing systems. This collaboration aims to leverage Terumo BCT’s Quantum Flex™ automated cell expansion platform to improve consistency, scalability, and overall efficiency in MSC production, thereby reducing reliance on manual processes. Terumo BCT will lead the development of scalable manufacturing workflows to support batch-to-batch consistency and process robustness, aligning with Steminent’s development goals. Subsequently, the workflow will be transferred to Steminent for continued optimization and advancement.
Ling-Mei Wang, Chairperson of Steminent Biotherapeutics, stated: “Collaborating with Terumo BCT will help us further refine our production process system for late-stage clinical and commercial phases. This not only supports the next stage of our MSC clinical programs but also helps drive late-stage clinical scaling and lays the groundwork for future commercialization across multiple regions.”
Dr. Wenyan Leong, Director of Commercial and Global Strategic Partnerships for Terumo BCT in Asia Pacific, noted: “As C>GT developers in the Asia Pacific region move toward commercialization, Terumo BCT is committed to supporting clients in building more scalable production strategies through mature platform technologies and global experience. In practice, this means co-designing process systems with developers that support scalable production, meeting not only early-stage R&D needs but also supporting late-stage clinical and commercial manufacturing.”
Upon successful completion of relevant development milestones, Steminent plans to further expand the application of the Quantum Flex platform to support broader clinical translation and future commercialization efforts.
This collaboration aligns with Terumo BCT’s “Asia Pacific Ecosystem Blueprint,” a collaboration-focused practical framework designed to support cell and gene therapy developers in the region as they progress from early-stage R&D to an industrialized phase with scalable and consistent production capabilities.
Quantum Flex™ is a registered trademark or trademark of Terumo BCT, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. For details, please visit TerumoBCT.com/trademarks.
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