Early in 2026, BioProcess International and IB Communications had a video roundtable discussion on the future of biomanufacturing of autologous cell therapies with industry leaders from across the CGT ecosystem. The question of whether such therapies work has been settled, more or less. A more important issue is now how to build a manufacturing and delivery system that can scale CGT reliably, affordably, and globally.
It is argued in the article that neither centralized manufacturing nor pure point-of-care (PoC) manufacturing, the on-site or near-patient manufacturing of medical therapies, is the answer. Instead, the most realistic path forward is a hybrid distributed model (regional hubs, hub-and-spoke networks, distributed manufacturing under centralized governance). The term ‘uberification’ of biomanufacturing is mentioned.
The path from centralized CGT manufacturing to distributed models represents more than a logistical shift; it requires fundamental changes in how the industry thinks about quality, standardization, training, and accountability. The promise of bringing life-saving therapies to patients is real, but so are the complications of maintaining consistency and quality across multiple sites with different capabilities.
Success will require the CGT industry to move beyond aspirational statements about distributed manufacturing and engage in the hard work of building manufacturing and logistics systems, training personnel, establishing clear accountability, and creating the digital infrastructure necessary to connect disparate sites into coherent networks.
Read the complete article: https://www.bioprocessintl.com/cell-therapies/distributed-biomanufacturing-rethinking-production-and-logistics-for-autologous-cell-therapies
Bron: BioProcess International