AuctuCel Launches AuctuPrime, Advancing Safer and More Scalable Cell Therapy Manufacturing
Removing animal serum and human platelet supplements to unlock a new era of safer, more consistent and scalable cell therapy manufacturing.
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – 24 July 2026 — Behind every breakthrough cell therapy is a manufacturing process few patients ever see—but one that ultimately determines whether these treatments can reach the people who need them.
While cell therapies are transforming the treatment of cancer, autoimmune diseases and degenerative disorders, manufacturing remains one of the industry's greatest challenges. Current production processes frequently rely on animal serum and donor-derived human platelet supplements, introducing variability, supply constraints and manufacturing complexity that limit scalability and broader clinical adoption.
Today, AuctuCel Pte Ltd, a Singapore biotechnology company specialising in AI-powered bioprocess technologies, announced the launch of AuctuPrime, a next-generation chemically defined cell therapy medium developed in collaboration with Sperikon to eliminate dependence on both animal serum and human platelet supplements. The collaboration combines AuctuCel's expertise with Sperikon's deep capabilities in regenerative medicine and cell therapy development to address one of the industry's most persistent manufacturing challenges.
This launch addresses one of the industry's major manufacturing bottlenecks by eliminating the batch-to-batch variability and potential infectious agent contamination risks associated with animal- and donor-derived supplements. By accelerating the transition toward chemically defined manufacturing, AuctuPrime represents an important step toward safer, more consistent and sustainable cell therapy production.
Addressing One of Cell Therapy's Greatest Challenges
Although scientific advances in cell therapy have accelerated rapidly over the past decade, manufacturing remains one of the biggest obstacles preventing these therapies from becoming widely accessible.
Unlike conventional cell therapy media that rely on animal serum or donor-derived platelet supplements, AuctuPrime uses a fully chemically defined formulation, providing manufacturers with a reproducible, scalable and xeno-free manufacturing platform.
The technology offers several advantages for researchers and manufacturers, including:
- Elimination of both animal serum and human platelet supplements
- Improved manufacturing consistency through reduced batch-to-batch variability
- Enhanced manufacturing safety by eliminating reliance on animal serum and reducing dependence on donor-derived biological materials.
- Greater supply chain resilience through chemically defined raw materials
- Improved scalability from research through clinical and commercial manufacturing
- A more sustainable manufacturing approach supporting the future of regenerative medicine
By improving manufacturing consistency and reducing production complexity, chemically defined media have the potential to accelerate process development, simplify technology transfer and strengthen manufacturing robustness across the cell therapy industry.
"One of the biggest challenges in cell therapy manufacturing is consistency," said Dr Zach Pang, Co-founder & Chief Scientific Officer of AuctuCel. "By removing animal serum and human platelet supplements, chemically defined media provide a more consistent and controlled manufacturing process. This helps researchers and manufacturers produce cell therapies more reliably and at largerscale."
Building the Manufacturing Foundation for Future Therapies
While patients may never see the culture media used during manufacturing, they ultimately experience its impact.
More reliable manufacturing enables therapies to be produced more consistently, reducing production risk while supporting larger-scale manufacturing needed for future clinical and commercial demand.
As countries continue investing in advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs), manufacturing capability has become increasingly important for ensuring long-term healthcare resilience.
By reducing dependence on donor-derived platelet supplements and animal serum, chemically defined manufacturing platforms such as AuctuPrime can help strengthen supply chain security, support local manufacturing capabilities and contribute towards greater manufacturing sovereignty.
In the long term, these advances have the potential to improve manufacturing efficiency, increase production capacity and strengthen the scalability of regenerative medicine manufacturing.
"The future of regenerative medicine depends not only on scientific breakthroughs, but on our ability to manufacture these therapies safely, consistently and at scale," said Dr Chee Wai Fhu, Chief Executive Officer of AuctuCel.
"AuctuPrime represents an important step towards the next generation of cell therapy manufacturing. By eliminating dependence on animal serum and human platelet supplements, we are helping establish a more reproducible, scalable and sustainable manufacturing platform that can accelerate innovation and ultimately benefit patients."
Advancing Biotechnology Beyond Borders
The launch was attended by leading researchers, biotechnology companies, and industry partners from across Southeast Asia, highlighting the region's growing momentum in regenerative medicine and advanced biomanufacturing.
As AuctuCel continues expanding its footprint across Asia, the company remains committed to developing AI-powered technologies that improve manufacturing performance while supporting safer, more scalableand sustainable biotechnology production.
Because every improvement made behind the scenes brings the next generation of therapies one step closer to the patients who need them most.
About AuctuCel
AuctuCel is a Singapore-based biotechnology company spun out of A*STAR's Bioprocessing Technology Institute. The company develops AI-powered and ready-to-use culture media solutions that help biotechnology and cell therapy companies improve manufacturing consistency, productivity, and scalability. By combining advanced modelling, scientific expertise, and bioprocess innovation, AuctuCel is accelerating the translation of research into commercially viable biomanufacturing.
About Sperikon
Sperikon is a biotechnology company focused on advancing regenerative medicine through innovative cell therapy technologies and translational research. The company works closely with academic institutions and industry partners to develop scalable solutions that accelerate the clinical and commercial adoption of advanced cell therapies. Through its collaboration with AuctuCel, Sperikon supports the development of next-generation chemically defined manufacturing platforms for regenerative medicine.
