Trenchant BioSystems and Invetech Group sign LOI to form strategic alliance to develop fully automated CGT manufacturing solution
Alliance focused on reducing CGT manufacturing times to 2.5 days and commercially viable cost reductions from current manufacturing practices
Sacramento and San Diego, California, US, February 10, 2026
Trenchant BioSystems Inc., the CGT manufacturing platform developer for gene-modified cells, and Invetech, a global leader in solving complex manufacturing and product development challenges in the advanced therapies and diagnostics markets, today announce the signing of a non-binding Letter or Intent (“LOI”) to form a strategic alliance to kickstart the development of Trenchant BioSystems’ AutoCell automated cell and gene therapy manufacturing platform from semi-automated Alpha prototype to a fully-automated commercial product.
The parties anticipate that the definitive documents for the alliance will be executed following Invetech’s technical review and assessment of the AutoCell prototype. Initial testing data demonstrated the AutoCell platform has the potential to manufacture CGT with a 7-fold increase in gene-modified cell yield over existing technologies which will allow clinical doses from units of whole blood. Completion of the AutoCell product will implement full automation of the end-to-end CGT manufacturing process, simplification of workflows and has the potential to reduce CGT vein-to-vein timelines from its current industry-standard time of up to 6 weeks to just 2.5 days.
Under the terms outlined in the LOI, Invetech will add engineering experience, expertise and capability to Trenchant’s scientific oversight to productize AutoCell. Invetech will also manufacture the AutoCell platform for Trenchant. Invetech has acquired decades of experience in cell therapy, including in-house development and manufacturing. This includes a significant track record of working with tool providers and therapy manufacturers, from CDMOs to big pharma organizations.
Trenchant currently plans a first phase launch of an early access platform for select partners in early 2027, with full commercial release later in 2027.
“Current cell and gene therapy manufacturing practices are too time consuming and costly to actually deliver therapies to large-scale patient populations. Trenchant BioSystems has now released internal and independent data that confirms that its AutoCell product holds the solution to these challenges,” said Jon Ellis, CEO, Trenchant BioSystems. “The alliance will allow Trenchant to leverage Invetech’s expertise to take this prototype solution and release a commercial product in 2027.”
“We are excited by the potential of Trenchant’s AutoCell platform to address manufacturing issues that persist in the CGT industry and enable more patients to access life-saving medicines. We are now seeking to collaborate together to bring this breakthrough product to the CGT market and deliver a solution that will transform the sector.” said Andreas Knaack, CEO, Invetech. “AutoCell has the potential to realize the dream of distributed (Point-of-Care) manufacturing, with the additional benefits of reduced COGs, thus enabling accessibility and affordability of treatment for essentially every patient in treatment centers anywhere around the world..”
The LOI is non-binding and the parties intend to work together to execute mutually acceptable definitive agreements that will define the scope and rights of the parties.
About Trenchant BioSystems
Trenchant BioSystems is a leading disruptive firm reimagining cell and gene therapy manufacturing to be scalable, efficient, rapid and affordable through the development of truly end to end manufacturing platforms. Trenchant has developed a manufacturing modality that will reduce the production times for CAR-Ts to 2.5 days. Its manufacturing processes also reduce CAR-T manufacturing cost significantly. Trenchant was launched in 2022, and is based in Sacramento, CA, US. It was founded by chairman and CTO Philip Coelho, CEO Jon Ellis, and Bill Busa, PhD. To discover more about Trenchant, visit https://www.trenchantbio.com.
About Invetech
Invetech is your trusted partner in solving complex End-to-End manufacturing and product development challenges in the global advanced therapies market. For more than three decades, we've partnered with leaders in diagnostics, life sciences, and cell therapy to co-create breakthrough solutions that transform ideas into market-ready technologies and therapies. Whether transitioning from early process development to commercial-scale manufacturing or optimizing complex workflows, our team combines scientific insight, engineering excellence and proven technology platforms to deliver tailored solutions. Our proven modules, technology platforms and custom automation solutions integrate seamlessly with your processes, reducing time to market, and supporting scalable, GMP-compliant manufacturing. Together with our clients, we're advancing healthcare. To learn more about Invetech Group, visit https://www.invetechgroup.com/
For more information contact:
Neil Hunter
Hunter PR
neil@hunterpr.biz
+44 7821 255568