ScaleReady awards multiple G-Rex® Grants to leading investigators at the University of Southern California (USC) and the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles (CHLA)

Rhea-AI Summary

ScaleReady has awarded $1,025,000 in G-Rex Grants to researchers at USC and Children's Hospital of Los Angeles (CHLA) to advance cell and gene therapy initiatives. The grants were distributed among four recipients: Dr. Mohamed Abou-el-Enein ($300,000) for CAR-T cell therapies manufacturing platform, Dr. Saul Priceman ($275,000) for solid cancer treatment research, Dr. Shahab Asgharzadeh ($250,000) for pediatric solid tumor therapy development, and Dr. Preet Chaudhary ($200,000) for solid tumor treatment research. The G-Rex Grant Program has made nearly 200 awards to date and has been extended with additional funding. Recipients gain access to ScaleReady's consortium of partners providing expertise in cGMP manufacturing, quality control, and regulatory affairs.

Positive

• Total grant funding of $1.025 million awarded to advance cell and gene therapy research
• G-Rex system demonstrated efficiency in CAR-T manufacturing with high-yield cell expansion and robust scale-up
• Program has awarded nearly 200 grants with over 50 new applications in queue
• Grant recipients receive additional support from consortium partners in cGMP manufacturing and regulatory affairs

Negative

• None.

Insights

Biotechnology Research Analyst

Bio-Techne's ScaleReady partnership awarded $1M+ in grants, positioning their G-Rex platform as preferred technology for advanced cell therapy development.

The announcement of $1,025,000 in G-Rex Grants to USC and CHLA researchers represents a significant strategic win for Bio-Techne Corporation and its ScaleReady partnership. While the financial impact isn't immediately material to Bio-Techne's quarterly results, these grants establish critical academic validation and market positioning for their cell therapy manufacturing platform.

The most telling aspect is Dr. Abou-el-Enein's explicit endorsement after $300,000 in funding: identifying G-Rex as their "platform of choice" for CAR-T manufacturing after "extensive evaluation." This represents powerful third-party validation from a respected academic institution with both research and clinical manufacturing capabilities.

These grants effectively function as a customer acquisition strategy - by funding prestigious researchers at major institutions to adopt their platform, ScaleReady creates showcase reference sites while building relationships with tomorrow's cell therapy developers. The recipients are working on particularly challenging applications in solid tumor treatments, where current CAR-T approaches struggle with effectiveness. Success here would significantly expand the addressable market.

The scale of the overall G-Rex Grant Program is impressive, with nearly 200 awards already made and "millions of dollars in additional funding" committed. This demonstrates a substantial investment in academic relationship-building and ecosystem development that appears designed to establish G-Rex as the default platform of choice for next-generation cell therapies as they move from academic labs to clinical manufacturing.

ST. PAUL, Minn., May 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- ScaleReady, in collaboration with Wilson Wolf Manufacturing, Bio-Techne Corporation (NASDAQ: TECH) and CellReady announced today three G-Rex Grants that have been awarded to faculty members at the University of Southern California (USC) and the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles (CHLA). The funding totaling $1,025,000 will support the translation of various cell and gene therapy initiatives into the clinic.

Dr. Mohamed Abou-el-Enein, Executive Director of the USC/CHLA Cell Therapy Program and Founding Director of the cGMP Facility, received a $300,000 G-Rex Grant to further support the development of a novel non-viral manufacturing platform for CAR-T cell therapies. Initially funded by the INFR5 Grant from the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), this additional support will help accelerate and enhance the platform's progress.

"After extensive evaluation, we've identified the G-Rex system as the platform of choice for establishing an efficient, scalable, and cost-effective CAR-T manufacturing process that supports both my lab and our clients within the GMP facility. The system enables high-yield cell expansion, robust scale-up, and impressive consistency within a compact footprint. By integrating this platform, we are advancing our mission as a center of excellence in CAR-T manufacturing and delivering practical solutions for teams bringing cell therapies to patients," said Mohamed Abou-el-Enein M.D., Ph.D.

Dr. Saul Priceman, Founding Director of the Keck School of Medicine of USC/ USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center for Cancer Cellular Immunotherapy Research (CCCIR), received a $275,000 G-Rex Grant for the development of a G-Rex based CAR-T cell process to advance a novel clinically-active CAR-T cell therapy into a Phase 1/2 clinical trial for the treatment of metastatic solid cancers. The laboratory is also investigating viral and non-viral engineering strategies that will be adapted using the G-Rex platform, which will address current cell manufacturing bottlenecks and help expand preclinical and clinical research efforts. "While our clinical experiences to date have used more conventional cell manufacturing platforms, we are excited about translating our new cellular immunotherapies using the G-Rex production system across the USC and CHLA campuses," said Saul Priceman, Ph.D. 

Dr. Shahab Asgharzadeh, Director of the Neuroblastoma Basic and Translational Program at CHLA, received a $250,000 G-Rex Grant to support late-stage preclinical development of a novel Chimeric TGFB Signaling Receptor (CTSR) Enabled Anti-B7H3 CAR-T cell therapy in children and Adolescent and Young Adults (AYA) with Recurrent Solid Tumors.  This program is supported by an existing CIRM CLIN1 Grant.

Dr. Preet Chaudhary, Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Nohl Division of Hematology and Center for Blood Diseases in the Department of Medicine, received a $200,000 G-Rex Grant  for the process development and IND submission of a novel Synthetic Immune Receptor (SIR) engineered T cell therapy for the treatment of solid tumors.  This program is supported by a CIRM TRAN1 Grant.

"USC and CHLA have assembled a world-class team of innovators in the cell therapy field with the intent of making significant contributions to the cell and gene-modified cell therapy (CGT) field. We are impressed by the thoroughness of their CGT manufacturing selection process and having G-Rex selected as the platform to support their current and future clinical plans is an honor," said John Wilson, CEO of Wilson Wolf and co-inventor of G-Rex.

ScaleReady's G-Rex Grant Program is advancing the state of CGT development and manufacturing by awarding individual Grant Awards worth up to $300,000.  With nearly 200 grant awards already made and over 50 new applications in queue, the G-Rex Grant Program has been extended with millions of dollars in additional funding. G-Rex Grant Recipients also gain access to exclusive support from ScaleReady's growing consortium of G-Rex Grant Partners who bring best-in-class tools and technologies as well as unparalleled knowledge and expertise in the areas of cGMP manufacturing, quality and regulatory affairs, CGT business operations, and more.

For more information about the G-Rex® Grant Program, please contact info@scaleready.com.

About ScaleReady
ScaleReady provides the field of cell and gene-modified cell therapy (CGT) with a G-Rex centric manufacturing platform that enables the world's most practical, flexible, scalable, and affordable CGT drug product development and manufacturing.

The G-Rex manufacturing platform is currently used by a rapidly growing list of over 800 organizations and is producing drug products for approximately 50% of CGT clinical trials as well as 5 commercially approved CGT drugs.

CGT entities relying on the breadth and scope of ScaleReady's expertise can expect to save years of time and millions of dollars on the path to CGT commercialization.

For more information about the ScaleReady G-Rex® Grant Program, please contact info@scaleready.com.

About Wilson Wolf Manufacturing
Wilson Wolf (www.wilsonwolf.com) is dedicated to simplifying cell and gene-modified cell (CGT) therapy research, process development, and manufacturing.  This is being accomplished through its scalable G-Rex technology, which is used throughout the world in CGT applications ranging from basic research to commercial drug production.

Wilson Wolf's mission is to create hope for cancer patients, one G-Rex® device at a time.

About Bio-Techne Corporation
Bio-Techne Corporation (NASDAQ: TECH) is a global life sciences company providing innovative tools and bioactive reagents for the research and clinical diagnostic communities. Bio-Techne, in partnership with Wilson Wolf, is creating products such as media and cytokines that are specifically tailored to G-Rex® Bioreactors, including right-sized reagent quantities in containers that are tailored to high throughput closed-system manufacturing. For more information on Bio-Techne and its brands, please visit https://www.bio-techne.com or follow the Company on social media at: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter or YouTube.

Contact: David Clair, Vice President, Investor Relations & Corporate Development
david.clair@bio-techne.com
612-656-4416 

About CellReady LLC
CellReady is the world's first and only G-Rex centric contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) specializing in G-Rex based cell and gene-modified cell therapy development and manufacturing. The company offers a wide range of services to support the development and commercialization of these therapies.

CellReady's mission is to create hope for cancer patients, one G-Rex® process at a time.

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SOURCE Bio-Techne Corporation

FAQ

What is the total value of G-Rex Grants awarded to USC and CHLA researchers in 2025?

ScaleReady awarded a total of $1,025,000 in G-Rex Grants to researchers at USC and CHLA in May 2025.

How many G-Rex Grants has ScaleReady awarded to date?

ScaleReady has awarded nearly 200 grants to date, with over 50 new applications in queue.

What is the maximum individual G-Rex Grant amount that can be awarded by ScaleReady?

Individual G-Rex Grant Awards can be worth up to $300,000.

What additional benefits do G-Rex Grant recipients receive besides funding?

Recipients gain access to ScaleReady's consortium of G-Rex Grant Partners, providing expertise in cGMP manufacturing, quality and regulatory affairs, and CGT business operations.

Who received the largest G-Rex Grant amount at USC/CHLA in this announcement?

Dr. Mohamed Abou-el-Enein received the largest grant of $300,000 for developing a novel non-viral manufacturing platform for CAR-T cell therapies.