Qkine and Tolemy Bio partner to advance media and protein optimization for cell therapy manufacturing
Joint research projects to identify and develop novel recombinant protein combinations for cell and gene therapy media
Cambridge, UK, January 2025 – Qkine, a leading recombinant protein manufacturer, and Tolemy Bio, a pioneer in custom cell culture media design using AI, are excited to announce a collaborative partnership to drive innovation in cell and gene therapy (CGT) manufacturing. This collaboration aims to explore the synergistic potential of high-quality recombinant proteins and optimized media formulations to improve cell growth, functionality, and scalability for immune and stem cell therapies.
By combining Qkine’s expertise in developing cytokines and growth factors with Tolemy’s advanced predictive modelling and media design platform, the partnership will focus on two key areas:
- Optimizing Current Protein Applications: Investigating Qkine’s existing recombinant protein portfolio to enhance CGT manufacturing processes.
- Discovering Novel Solutions: Identifying and validating new protein-media synergies that address unmet needs in the CGT field.
“We are delighted to collaborate with Tolemy Bio to combine our high purity growth factors with their cell culture media development platform. The potential to deliver tailored cell culture media orders of magnitude faster will ultimately help derisk translation and facilitate creation of scalable cell manufacture processes.” Catherine Elton, CEO, Qkine.
Dr Alex Ward, Co-founder of Tolemy Bio, added,
“Collaborating with Qkine provides an incredible opportunity to expand the capabilities of custom media optimization. By working closely with their team, we can integrate cutting-edge proteins into our AI-designed media formulations to deliver transformative results for cell therapy developers.”
The collaboration will involve multiple R&D projects, data generation initiatives, and joint efforts to apply for grants supporting the advancement of cell therapy manufacturing technologies. Findings and case studies from this partnership will aim to provide practical, scalable solutions for the CGT industry.
Qkine and Tolemy Bio leaders Rob Nixon (Qkine Commercial Director), Alex Ward (Tolemy Bio Co-Founder) and Catherine Elton (Qkine CEO) met at Advanced Therapies Week in Dallas, TX to forge this partnership with the aim of advancing cell culture media for immune and stem cell therapy.
About Tolemy Bio
Tolemy Bio, based in Cambridge, UK, develops precision engineered, custom cell culture media formulations for the cell and gene therapy (CGT) industry, leveraging advanced AI and machine learning techniques. Through its advanced computational approach, Tolemy is able to specifically engineer cell metabolism in ways that are not achievable with current methods. Tolemy’s data driven media solutions offer the potential to deliver better CGT products faster than ever before, closing the gap on patient access to these life-saving treatments. To find out more, visit www.tolemy.bio or follow us on LinkedIn.
About Qkine, Ltd.
Qkine manufactures high-purity, animal origin-free growth factors, cytokines, and other complex proteins for life science applications, including stem cell and organoid culture. Headquartered in Cambridge, UK, the company addresses critical biological, quality, and scalability challenges through proprietary recombinant protein production processes combined with advanced protein engineering techniques. Its commitment to innovation supports emerging fields such as stem cell models, organoids, cellular agriculture, cell therapy, regenerative medicine, and organ-on-a-chip technologies. By delivering more reliable tools for research and biomanufacturing, Qkine seeks to accelerate the impact of these technologies on human health and wellbeing.
Qkine is an ISO 9001:2015 certified company, providing full traceability and extensive product documentation. Exceptional transparency, the Qkine Nine Point Quality Commitment, and integrated scientific support are designed to facilitate scale-up and commercial cell manufacturing.
For more information, please visit qkine.com, email customerservice@qkine.com or follow us on LinkedIn.
