Vertex Pharmaceuticals will continue to use MaxCyte's Flow Electroporation technology and ExPERT platform to support gene-edited cell therapy exa-cel, formerly known as CTX001 for hemoglobinopathies

ROCKVILLE, Md., Sept. 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MaxCyte, Inc., (NASDAQ:MXCT, LSE: MXCT))), a leading commercial cell-engineering company focused on providing enabling platform technologies to advance innovative cell-based research as well as next-generation cell therapeutic discovery, development and commercialization, today announces the signing of a strategic platform license (SPL) with Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, a global biotechnology company that invests in scientific innovation to create transformative medicines for people with serious diseases.

Under the terms of the agreement, Vertex obtains non-exclusive clinical and commercial rights to use MaxCyte's Flow Electroporation technology and ExPERT platform in the development of its CRISPR/Cas9-based gene-edited therapy (exa-cel, formerly known as CTX001), which entitles MaxCyte to receive platform licensing fees and program related revenue.

Exa-cel is an investigational ex vivo CRISPR gene-edited cell therapy under evaluation for patients suffering from transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia (TDT) or sickle cell disease (SCD) characterized by recurrent vaso-occlusive crises.

The same MaxCyte technology was used in the development of exa-cel under an agreement between MaxCyte and CRISPR Therapeutics.