BB Subsidiary Nucelion Partners with VeGen Bio to Advance CAR-T Therapy for Multiple Myeloma
Multiple myeloma is a blood cancer associated with significant unmet medical needs and treatment-access challenges in India.
Under the strategic collaboration, Hyderabad-based Nucelion will serve as the technology transfer and manufacturing partner for VL-2511, which targets the BCMA and CD19 antigens.
The programme aims to advance the therapy towards a Phase I/II clinical trial in India, with commercialisation targeted for 2028, according to the companies.
The partnership will combine Nucelion’s manufacturing infrastructure and technical expertise with VeGen Bio’s scientific capabilities and therapeutic development pipeline.
The companies will also work on process optimisation, manufacturing yields and operational efficiency to reduce production costs and improve access to advanced cell therapies.
Raghu Malapaka, Chief Business Officer of Nucelion Therapeutics, said the collaboration would help bridge the gap between promising cell therapy research and reliable manufacturing at scale.
He said the company’s infrastructure was designed to meet US Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency standards.
Prashant Bhavar, Director of VeGen Bio, said the partnership would provide a pathway for technology transfer, manufacturing scale-up and pipeline expansion, while supporting the development of more accessible and affordable treatments for Indian patients.
VL-2511 is an autologous CAR-T cell therapy designed to target both BCMA and CD19, with the objective of addressing antigen escape, a mechanism through which cancer cells evade immune recognition by losing or reducing the expression of a targeted antigen.
The companies said the therapy had clinical experience in China and was undergoing clinical development in the United States.
The programme is also being investigated for POEMS syndrome and selected autoimmune disorders, including systemic lupus erythematosus.
Under the agreement, Nucelion’s scope will include process development, analytical testing, good manufacturing practice (GMP) cell processing, vector-enabled transduction, aseptic fill-finish, cryopreservation and quality-control testing.
The collaboration is also intended to establish a broader manufacturing framework for additional cell therapy candidates in VeGen Bio’s pipeline.
Nucelion plans to expand its capabilities across plasmid DNA, viral vectors and advanced cellular processing.
The companies said the collaboration aimed to strengthen domestic cell therapy manufacturing capabilities and support the development of next-generation treatments.
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