High-purity, viable T cell isolation is essential for consistent upstream processing of CAR-T cell manufacturing. Traditional magnetic cell separation uses positive or negative selection; the latter preserves cell integrity by avoiding activation and receptor modification. Akadeum® Buoyancy-Activated Cell Sorting (BACS), uses microbubbles and buoyant forces to gently isolate target cells, offering an alternative to magnetic based cell isolation, without the need for preprocessing the apheresis material.
A challenge in cell therapy is achieving scalable and consistent cell viability and function, while maximizing cell expansion and potency. Automated bioreactors, such as the Lonza Cocoon® Platform, offer controlled environments that support consistent cell growth while minimizing contamination risks. This system integrates various unit operations—including cell separation, activation, transduction, expansion, and harvesting—into a functionally-closed system, reducing manual interventions and associated variability, as compared to manual process. By automating these procedures, the Lonza Cocoon® Platform facilitates reproducible, commercial-scale production of therapeutic cells.
In this work we present an automated 9-day T cell isolation and manufacturing process on the Lonza Cocoon® Platform using the Akadeum® Human T Cell Leukopak Isolation Kit – GMP Grade, providing high purity, recovery, and yielding a T cell product with desirable phenotypes for CAR-T therapy applications.