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CAR-Ts and other new therapeutic modalities are becoming increasingly sophisticated, yet their performance tests haven't kept pace ⚠️ As CAR-T therapies evolve, their complexity seems to skyrocket. Dr. Sebastian Kobold's and team nicely described how sophisticated the endodomain architectures of chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) have become (see image at the bottom of this post). But it doesn't stop there, no no. Researchers are now engineering multi-CARs, combining multiple CARs within a single CAR-T. And other new therapeutic modalities like antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) etc. also keep evolving and getting more and more complex. And this brings me to a pressing challenge 🧐: Current performance testing strategies and quality control assays aren't evolving fast enough to keep up with these advancements. This gap risks underestimating therapy efficacy, complicating regulatory approvals, and potentially delaying groundbreaking treatments from reaching patients. To bridge this gap, we urgently need: 1️⃣ Advanced testing strategies that are compatible with these more complex designs and give a good indication of the potential performance of these new therapies. 2️⃣ Comprehensive, high-resolution characterization methods to accurately capture critical quality attributes (CQAs). 3️⃣ Robust, flexible assays ensuring reliable batch release of these new therapies. To my expert network of scientists, biotech innovators, and regulatory specialists: What innovative solutions are you witnessing or developing to tackle these testing challenges? How have your performance testing strategies evolved to match the therapeutic complexity? I'm especially curious about insights from cell therapies (CAR-Ts, ...) and ADC specialists! 💡   PS: For the original publication, see  https://lnkd.in/exMRp877   #CellAndGeneTherapy #CART #ADC #cancervaccines #QualityControl #QC #Biotech #Pharma #AnalyticalDevelopment #GMP #potency imec imec.xpand Bristol Myers Squibb Kite Pharma Gilead Sciences Legend Biotech Johnson & Johnson Novartis Fate Therapeutics Inc. ElevateBio Adaptimmune Juno Therapeutics, Inc. Celgene Autolus Therapeutics Cabaletta Bio CARGO Therapeutics Eureka Therapeutics, Inc Cartesian Therapeutics Poseida Therapeutics, Inc. Roche

The Chip Cooling Ecosystem is about to get disrupted In his whitepaper "Liquid Cooling for Hot AI Accelerator Chips" our imec.xpand colleague and partner Bert G. explores the chip cooling industry. Currently, the market is highly fragmented, with primarily players developing subsystems of the overall cooling solution, such as electronic design automation, direct-to-chip cooling solutions, immersion cooling, thermal interface materials and metal micro-machined parts. Bert predicts that, initially, we will see various types of custom cold plates entering the market and getting integrated by rack integrators. As the market grows, we will see further standardization of chip packages with built-in liquid cooling. This will reduce the cost of such systems, increase their reliability, and ultimately lead to mass adoption. The full whitepaper is available for download on our website: https://bit.ly/43PZhZF #ChipCooling #whitepaper #LiquidCooling #MarketMap

One of our most disruptive portfolio companies, Celestial AI, has secured another successful funding round! With its Photonic Fabric™ optical interconnect technology platform, Celestial AI is redefining AI infrastructure. We have been part of Celestial AI’s journey from the start, backing them in their Seed round in 2020 and supporting them through their technology development phase. Congratulations to CEO and founder David Lazovsky and the entire Celestial AI team on this important milestone. For more information, see https://bit.ly/3XLWHA6 #DeepTech #VentureCapital #GrowingTogether #PhotonicFabric Fidelity Investments BlackRock Maverick Silicon Tiger Global Management Lip-Bu Tan AMD Koch Disruptive Technologies Temasek Xora Innovation Porsche Automobil Holding SE Engine Ventures

Hello Tomorrow is around the corner! Later this week, our colleagues Tom, Bert and Jonathan will be in Paris for Hello Tomorrow, connecting with deeptech founders, investors, and industry leaders. Are you attending as well? Feel free to reach out! #Deeptech #VentureCapital #HelloTomorrow2025

AI is hot. And the chips delivering it even hotter. According to imec.xpand Partner Bert G., the market for liquid cooling has reached an inflection point. The chip cooling ecosystem is about to be disrupted. #whitepaper #LiquidCooling #ChipCooling #AirCooling

Xpand Academy - Sales & Growth Strategy At imec.xpand, we know that building ventures goes beyond breakthrough technology. It’s also about selling the vision, scaling strategically, and seizing growth opportunities. That’s why today’s Xpand Academy is all about sales and growth. 🔹Our very own Peter Vanbekbergen kicked off with his keynote on selling both the Minimum Viable Product and the dream. 🔹Mark Dickson, Head of Marketing & Business Development at Renesas Electronics, is now sharing his insights on strategic selling for startups. 🔹Later this evening, Omar Mohout, Scaleup Director at Deloitte, will dive into the 'untapped' potential of M&A. We will wrap up this first Xpand Academy of 2025 with an Italian-style walking dinner. Thank you to our speakers and everyone who joined us this evening, whether online or on-site. #XpandAcademy #GrowingTogether #SalesStrategy #GrowthStrategy

Our colleagues Karolina and Cyril will be at Tech Tour Photonics in Brussels this Thursday, February 20th. 🔹 Karolina is part of the jury for Pitching Session VI: 'Photonics-enabled' in the afternoon. 🔹 Cyril participates in the morning panel discussion on 'Investment Trends in Photonics'. If you're attending and would like to connect, feel free to reach out to them directly. #TTPhotonics25 #TechTourPhotonics #Photonics

We are thrilled to announce that our portfolio company, PsiQuantum, has been selected by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for the final phase of the Utility-Scale Quantum Computing program evaluation! This recognition underscores PsiQuantum's pioneering work in silicon photonic quantum computing. We're proud to have supported their journey to-date toward building the world's first utility-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer. Congratulations to the entire PsiQuantum team on this remarkable achievement!

Our colleague Karolina Liljeroth-Dorozynska has been promoted to Investment Manager! Since joining in April 2023, Karolina has played an important role in driving our investment strategy forward. Her contributions have been essential in securing some of our most recent deals, and her expertise and strategic vision make this a well-earned step forward. Congratulations, Karolina!

At imec.xpand, we look for breakthrough innovations that redefine industries, and Zafrens is doing just that. Their drug discovery platform allows scientists to create and test hundreds of thousands of potential medicines simultaneously. This innovative approach significantly reduces the time and cost of finding new treatments while providing deeper insights into how these drugs work. This means that potentially life-changing medicines can be brought to patients more quickly and efficiently. As such, this investment aligns with our strategy to support breakthrough technologies that can create significant value in the healthcare sector. For more information: https://lnkd.in/eiecGn2t #GrowingTogether #VentureCapital #DrugDiscovery #HealthTech #biotech