Leiden, Netherlands – [6th of May 2025] – NecstGen, a center of excellence in Cell and Gene Therapy development and manufacturing, today announced a partnership with Astraveus to evaluate the Lakhesys™ Benchtop Cell Factory, a novel microfluidic manufacturing platform designed to transform the production of CAR-T therapies.
NecstGen will use Astraveus’ Lakhesys™ system to explore its potential in delivering a scalable, cost-effective alternative to conventional CAR-T manufacturing processes. The project is set to demonstrate the ability of benchtop, closed-system automation to address key bottlenecks in Cell Therapy production. Additionally, NecstGen will produce Lentiviral vector for Astraveus’ internal research and development needs.
Astraveus recently showcased the first complete end-to-end CAR-T manufacturing run on the Lakhesys™ platform and is now starting external testing of its new manufacturing platform with partners. With its microfluidic core, the system offers a significant reduction in footprint, resources, and hands-on processing time.
Paul Bilars, CEO of NecstGen, commented:
“At NecstGen, we actively seek out pioneering technologies that align with our mission to bring advanced therapies to patients more efficiently. Astraveus’ Lakhesys™ platform represents a compelling approach to improving CAR-T production and scaling to meet growing global demand.”
Jérémie Laurent, PhD, CEO of Astraveus, added:
“We are delighted to be working with NecstGen, a forward-thinking partner with technical expertise and a shared vision for accelerating the accessibility of Cell Therapies. This collaboration will support demonstrating the disruptive potential of Lakhesys™ in a GMP environment.”
This partnership builds upon NecstGen’s mission to empower therapy developers, from academia to industry, with the infrastructure, expertise, and flexibility required to move from concept to clinic. The collaboration with Astraveus adds to a growing portfolio of innovative partnerships that position NecstGen as a leading CDMO in the cell and gene therapy ecosystem.
For more information, visit necstgen.com or connect with Tristan Pritchard-Meaker, Head of Business Development
About Astraveus
Astraveus is a Paris-based life science company dedicated to making cell therapies with maximized quality at order-of-magnitude lower cost. With the unique Lakhesys Benchtop Cell Factory™, Astraveus provides bioprocessing innovation at the cellular level, utilizing cutting-edge microfluidic technology to enhance process optimization and scalability from pre-clinical to commercial manufacturing.
Founded in 2016 by Jérémie Laurent at the Saint-Louis Hospital in Paris, a prestigious hub for leading cell therapy research, Astraveus is committed to revolutionizing the development and manufacturing of cell therapies and aspires to make these innovative treatments accessible to everyone in need, thereby enabling a healthier tomorrow.
About NecstGen
NecstGen is a non-profit CDMO and centre of excellence for Cell and Gene Therapy, located in a purpose-built GMP facility at the Leiden Bio Science Park, the largest bio-cluster in the Netherlands. NecstGen provides critical contract development, manufacturing and rental services to academic and industrial therapy developers to deliver next-generation therapeutics to patients.
