Awesome stuff, hottod. It does appear that TFS have been done plenty of R&D in the non-viral vector area of manufacturing but, as yet, not quite ready to roll out a closed, decentralised system. So, what timing for PTX! "Timing is everything" is the timelss addage and doesn't it apply here, hey?.
The stars seem to be perfectly aligned for both PTX and TFS. Biotech Bec was the perfect find for PTX... in fact, the perfect link for both companies. Hopefully, PTX is the perfect find for TFS and all of us! If CellPryme-A is the "Activation" piece of the manufacturing process and is requiring some sort of modification to suit TFS's transfection/electroporation technology, then it makes sense that CP-A remains in stealth mode.
We've got to like the fact TFS have signed with us to design and engineer a manufacturing system (incorporating our two platforms) at this juncture. TFS are not waiting for readouts from our clinical trials which haven't even started. That shows confidence with a capital "C". Sure, the clinical data may not live up to the pre-clinical data promises, but TFS know that first-mover advantage could be huge in the event that our clinical trials are successful.
As mentioned above, TFS have just launched a huge viral-vector manufacturing centre in Massachuesetts but are already looking to investigate the non-viral manufacturing path. But, perhaps that is because PTX has come along with the techonology to address ALL the challenges in immunotherapy and its the perfect fit to produce a universal system that facilitates and demands the non-viral (cheaper, scalabable and safer) vectoring technology.
