# High efficiency microfluidic device for large scale engineered cell therapy manufacturing

> **NIH NIH R43** · INDEE, INC · 2023 · $295,924

## Abstract

The goal of this project is to demonstrate the feasibility of a gentle and high-yield microfluidic device for the
enrichment and capture of CD3+ T cells, for use in manufacturing autologous and allogenic engineered cell
therapies. Despite impressive clinical results CAR-T and other engineered cell therapies, manufacturing these
products is time consuming and costly. The ideal solution is one that could process whole blood, including target
cell enrichment and genetic engineering, with minimal human intervention. Indee. Inc. previously developed
Hydropore™, a microfluidic technology that has been optimized for the delivery of genes and constructs to
immune cells (e.g., T-cells). Hydropore™ is a reliable and rapid alternative to current transfection approaches
that yields tens to hundreds of millions of high-quality engineered cells negligible impact on cell viability and
function. However, immune cells must be isolated and enriched from whole blood prior to transfection, a
cumbersome, multistep process that introduces variability in the final cell product. Therefore, the Phase I
objective is to develop a microfluidic device that is similarly optimized for T cell isolation and enrichment. Studies
will focus on (1) the design and qualification of prototype device that is compatible with the Hydropore instrument,
(2) device optimization to maximize the viability and yield of isolated cells, and (3) demonstrating the performance
of the optimized T cell capture device in improving the quality and yield of engineered T cells. The success of
this project will demonstrate the feasibility of a high-yield T cell enrichment device that will not only improve the
source material for cellular immunotherapies but also make the manufacturing process more robust and reliable,
and ultimately providing more potent and cost-effective therapies that will benefit more patients.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10693775
- **Project number:** 1R43GM150293-01
- **Recipient organization:** INDEE, INC
- **Principal Investigator:** Ryan Pawell
- **Activity code:** R43 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $295,924
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2023-09-06 → 2025-09-05

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10693775

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10693775, High efficiency microfluidic device for large scale engineered cell therapy manufacturing (1R43GM150293-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10693775. Licensed CC0.

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