EBMT partners in a new consortium to decentralise CAR-T cell therapy and improve hospital workflow
Barcelona, Spain - 26th August 2025 - The newly launched EASYGEN (Easy workflow integration for gene therapy) consortium will develop a fully automated, hospital-based platform capable of manufacturing personalised cell therapies within a few days. Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA is leading this €8 million EU-backed effort to make CAR-T cell therapy faster, more affordable, and more accessible to patients across Europe.
EASYGEN has been selected under the Innovative Health Initiative’s (IHI) call that targets user-centred technologies to relieve hospital staff and broaden access to advanced treatments. EASYGEN meets this goal by enabling rapid, in-hospital CAR-T cell production in days rather than weeks, accelerating patient access, reducing workloads, and lowering costs. EASYGEN leverages technology originally developed by Fresenius Kabi’s Cell and Gene Therapy team.
CAR-T therapy is a breakthrough cancer treatment, yet fewer than 20% of eligible patients currently receive it. It involves genetically modifying a patient’s T cells to target cancer, requiring complex, time-intensive production in specialised facilities often far from patients. Limited manufacturing capacity and supply chain delays prevent timely patient access.
As one of the eighteen consortium partners, EBMT will participate in a study examining current CAR-T treatment processes. EBMT will conduct a literature review on the quality of life of patients treated under existing CAR-T delivery models and will also contribute to patient education and advocacy efforts.
The scientific strategy is academically co-led by Fraunhofer Institute IZI, Leipzig - Europe’s foremost immunotherapy research centre under the leadership of Prof. Dr Michael Hudecek a leader in CAR-T cell engineering and Prof. Dr. Ulrike Köhl, a pioneer in translational cellular immunotherapies.
EBMT's contribution will draw on the experience from the Transplant Complications and Cellular Therapy and Immunobiology Working Parties as well as the Patient Advocacy Committee.
Consortium partners – 18 organizations across 8 countries
Industry & clinical leaders: Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA (Coordinator) (DE), Helios Hospital Berlin-Buch (DE), QS Instituto (ES), Fenwal Inc. (US), Cellix Ltd. (IE), Charles River (DE), Pro-Liance Global Solutions (DE), TQ Therapeutics (DE), Philips Electronics Nederland B.V. (NL).
Academic & research institutions: Fraunhofer IESE (DE), Fraunhofer IZI (DE), Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (DE)Technical University of Denmark (DK), Frankfurt School of Finance & Management (DE), European Society for Blood & Marrow Transplantation (SP), Bar-Ilan University (IL), University of Glasgow (UK), University of Navarra (ES).
About EASYGEN
EASYGEN is a five-year research project supported by the Innovative Health Initiative Joint Undertaking (IHI JU) under grant agreement No 101194710. The JU receives support from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme and COCIR, EFPIA, Europa Bío, MedTech Europe, Vaccines Europe and industry partners. Selected under the IHI call “User-centric technologies and optimized hospital workflows for a sustainable healthcare workforce”, the project aims to develop an integrated, automated platform that enables point-of-care CAR-T cell manufacturing—cutting production time, reducing costs, and expanding access to next-generation immunotherapies.
About EBMT:
The EBMT is a non-profit medical and scientific organisation established in 1974 which hosts a unique patient registry providing a pool of data to perform studies and assess new trends. We aim to be the connection between patients, researchers and other stakeholders to anticipate the future of cellular and stem cell-based therapies. Our community of healthcare professionals is focused on innovation, research and the advancement of these fields to save and improve the lives of patients with blood-related disorders.
For more information, please visit www.ebmt.org.
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Press Contact :
Mélanie Chaboissier
Communication Coordinator, EBMT
Email: melanie.chaboissier@ebmt.org