Uppsala-based Elicera Therapeutics is using the Pre-GMP core facility at Vecura in Flemingsberg as a first step in a study aimed at creating a new treatment for lymph node cancer.

The pre-GMP lab at Campus Flemingsberg makes it possible to use a new method to automate the process of genetically modifying cells for research studies.
“The facility allows us to benefit from a completely closed and automated system that reduces the workload for staff and further ensures quality,” says Magnus Essand, Research Director at Elicera.
In the Pre-GMP lab, the process can be developed and fine-tuned while staff at Vecura receive training in the new methods.

Activating the immune system
The establishment of Elicera Therapeutics was based on research conducted at Uppsala University with the aim of using modified cells – CAR-T cells – to develop new cancer treatments. Cells taken from patients develop the ability to activate the body’s own immune system in the fight against cancer.

The goal of the current study is to identify a treatment for patients with Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a form of lymph node cancer.
“There are currently two approved treatments for the disease, but they don’t work for all patients. We hope that our treatment can also be used by these patients and prevent recurrence,” says Essand, adding: “We hope to develop a curative treatment for these patients.”

Elicera Therapeutics recently received a grant from the European Innovation Council (EIC) to help them grow further. In the future, there are plans to use the company’s findings to develop treatments for patients with brain cancer.

Read more on the Elicera Therapeutics homepage at: elicera.com.