Universal Cells Inc.
Universal Cells is a Seattle-based company that is producing engineered stem cell lines that can avoid rejection and be used in allogeneic cell therapy treatments for the people who need them. One Cell, Many Therapies. Universal Cells edits genes required for immune recognition to create universal donor, pluripotent stem cells. We use,nuclease-free, recombinant Adeno-Associated Virus (rAAV) gene editing technology to produce off-the-shelf, stem cell-based products.
Company details
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- Business Type:
- Manufacturer
- Industry Type:
- Pharmaceuticals
- Market Focus:
- Nationally (across the country)
Our History
Universal Cells was established to commercialize gene-editing, stem cell engineering and immune rejection technologies for the treatment of human diseases.
The technologies were developed by Dr. David Russell, Founder of Universal Cells and a Professor Emeritus of Medicine at the University of Washington. He received his BS from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, an MD from Cornell University, and a PhD from Rockefeller University.
Dr. Russell has made major contributions in the fields of gene therapy, viral vectors, vector integration, gene editing, insertional mutagenesis, and the genetic manipulation of human stem cells. He published the original report of AAV-mediated gene editing in 1998, which was the first example of gene editing in normal human cells, for which he received a Presidential Early Career Award from the White House. Dr. Russell has been recognized for his contributions by election to the American Society of Clinical Investigation and the Association of American Physicians, and he served as President of the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy. Over the last decade, he has focused on the creation of gene-edited universal donor stem cells that escape allogeneic rejection. He founded Universal Cells to develop and commercialize universal donor stem cells for the treatment of human diseases.
Our Work
Universal Cells supports several Teams and Programs in our efforts to create a wide range of safe and effective PSC-derived cell therapies.
Gene Editing
We are always improving our unique, rAAV-mediated gene editing technology to make it faster, more efficient, and more versatile, without creating any chromosomal DNA breaks.
Suicide Genes
We strive to create the safest possible cell therapy products by developing multiple effective suicide gene systems and incorporating them into Universal Donor PSCs.
Enhancing Cell Therapy
Additional gene editing steps are being developed with the goal of improving the function, differentiation, and safety of next generation cell therapy products.
Manufacturing
We continue to improve our clinical-grade gene editing platform to make it more reliable, robust, and streamlined, while maintaining compatibility with all regulatory requirements.
Analytics
Our team is focused on the rapid and accurate determination of editing sequence changes, genomic integrity, and cell phenotyping to provide a thorough characterization of edited cells.
Therapeutic Programs
Universal Cells is developing its own internal therapeutic programs based on differentiation into hematopoietic cell types, in addition to those supported through partnerships.
UDC Technology
The immune system is complex, so we are designing improved universal donor cells that utilize novel immune evasion strategies with the goal of using the same cell line in a wide range of patients.
HLA Engineering
Our goal is total control of HLA antigen presentation, with broad implications for immuno-oncology as well as the treatment of autoimmune disorders, allergies, and infectious diseases.
Genomic Analysis
We intend to set the standard in this rapidly evolving aspect of cell therapy by ensuring our products lack unwanted mutations through our own state-of-the-art bioinformatics pipeline.
Vector Production
We prepare our own plasmids and viral vectors on site for use in research and clinical grade manufacturing, based on many years of experience with the rAAV gene editing platform.
Quality & Regulatory
We are committed to following the highest manufacturing and documentation standards in order to prepare products appropriately for clinical trials and eventual regulatory approvals across the world.
Operations
Our administrative and facilities employees work closely with executives, scientists, and technicians at Universal Cells to create a productive and enjoyable work environment.