Cellares Secures $257M to Scale Global Cell Therapy Manufacturing

The cell therapy landscape is currently undergoing a fundamental transformation from localized, manual production toward a standardized industrial model, a shift underscored by the recent announcement that Cellares has closed a $257 million Series D financing round.¹ Co-led by BlackRock and Eclipse, the investment brings the total funding for the organization to $612 million. This capital infusion represents more than just financial growth; it validates a move toward a new category of service provider known as an integrated development and manufacturing organization (IDMO), according to a Cellares news release.¹ The IDMO model seeks to solve the persistent challenges of capacity, cost, and consistency that have limited the reach of personalized medicines to a small fraction of the global patient population.

Can High-throughput Automation Address the Current Bottlenecks in Cell Therapy Production?

To modernize what Cellares notes as the traditional method of manufacturing cell therapies long characterized by labor-intensive, manual steps that are difficult to scale across international markets, the new funding will support a fully automated smart factory model via the continued deployment of the company’s Cell Shuttle^TM and the Cell Q^TM platforms.¹ The Cell Shuttle operates as an automated, end-to-end, closed system for the production of various cell therapy modalities. In tandem, the Cell Q platform automates the critical in-process and release testing phases. By integrating these two technologies, an IDMO can achieve approximately ten times the throughput of a conventional contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) while occupying a similar physical footprint.

This efficiency, according to Cellares, has profound implications for facility planning and human resource management within the industry.¹ Where a traditional contract manufacturer might require ten facilities to reach commercial-scale capacity, the automated smart factory model requires one. Also, the staffing requirements for such a facility are reduced from thousands of trained professionals to hundreds. This reduction in labor intensity is particularly relevant given recent reports of rising attrition risks and eroding security within the broader bio-pharmaceutical workforce. Joe Fath, Partner and Head of Growth at Eclipse, highlighted the necessity of this transition by stating,¹ “For decades, cell therapy manufacturing has been constrained by artisanal, manual processes. Cellares has shown that integrated and high-throughput automation can meet regulatory standards, support commercial programs, and scale globally to unlock life-saving cell therapies for hundreds of thousands of patients worldwide.”

What Role do Regulatory Designations and Global Smart Factories Play in Scaling these Modalities?

Building a resilient supply chain for personalized medicine requires a decentralized yet standardized network of manufacturing hubs. The current expansion involves the construction of automated smart factories in South San Francisco, California; Bridgewater, New Jersey; Leiden, the Netherlands; and Kashiwa City, Japan. These sites are designed to provide an unconstrained supply of therapies for hundreds of thousands of patients annually, moving the industry closer to the goals of digitalization and advanced manufacturing processes.

Regulatory confidence is another cornerstone of this industrialization effort. The automated platform has already received the FDA advanced manufacturing technology designation, a status intended to expedite the review of regulatory submissions that utilize the platform.¹ Andrew Farris, managing director at BlackRock, commented on the strategic importance of this development, noting, “Cellares is building the high-tech, industrial backbone required for cell therapy to scale globally. Validated and cutting-edge automation, regulatory recognition, and growing commercial demand make Cellares a category‑defining platform in a rapidly growing global market projected to reach tens of billions of dollars per year over the coming decade.”

The industry’s appetite for this automated approach is already visible in significant commercial agreements. For instance, Bristol Myers Squibb entered a $380 million manufacturing agreement with Cellares in 2024 to reserve capacity within this global network.² This trend suggests that the move toward high-tech infrastructure is no longer theoretical but a practical requirement for commercial success. As the sector looks toward the first half of 2026 for clinical manufacturing and 2027 for commercial-scale operations, the focus has shifted from scientific discovery to industrial execution.¹ Fabian Gerlinghaus, co-founder and CEO of Cellares, summarized this pivotal moment: “The barrier to curing more patients is no longer scientific – it is industrial. With FDA validation, global commercial demand, and the capital to scale, we are building the high-tech infrastructure required to deliver cures and life-changing treatments worldwide. This financing puts Cellares on a clear, disciplined path toward becoming a public company.”¹

Additional support for this global initiative comes from a diverse group of investors, including Baillie Gifford, T. Rowe Price Investment Management, and the Duquesne Family Office.¹ This broad financial backing reflects the growing realization that the future of cell therapy relies on a sophisticated digital architecture that ensures quality control through every stage of development. By closing the gap between manufacturing and procurement, the automated IDMO model provides the pharmaceutical industry with the tools necessary to manage operational risks while ensuring a quality product for the global patient population.

References

1. Cellares. Cellares Raises $257 Million Series D Led by BlackRock and Eclipse to Industrialize Global Cell Therapy Manufacturing with Breakthrough Automation. Press release. Jan 28, 2026.
2. Cellares. Bristol Myers Squibb and Cellares Announce a $380M Worldwide Capacity Reservation and Supply Agreement for the Manufacture of CAR T Cell Therapies to Bring the Promise of Cell Therapy to More Patients, Faster. Press release. April 22, 2024.