Matica Biotechnology, a subsidiary of CHA Biotech, said Tuesday that it has signed a strategic partnership agreement with the National Center for Therapeutics Manufacturing (NCTM) at Texas A&M University to jointly advance research and development in cell and gene therapy (CGT).

The collaboration will combine Matica’s advanced CGT process development and manufacturing expertise with NCTM’s competitive edge in preclinical research and development. The partners plan to establish a comprehensive service platform that supports the entire CGT development lifecycle—from early research through clinical development and eventual commercialization.

Matica provides a wide range of non-clinical and clinical material production services, from process development to clinical-grade manufacturing.

Leveraging technologies such as the Ambr250 cell culture bioreactor system and single-use manufacturing technologies, as well as its proprietary cell line MatiMax, the company stressed that it delivers efficient, stable production processes designed to enhance CGT developers’ productivity and reduce costs.

NCTM, which operates under the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station, is a core institution supporting workforce development and technology advancement for the biotechnology industry. It conducts education and research programs for the biopharmaceutical and vaccine manufacturing sectors.

Under the new agreement, NCTM will use its bioprocessing and analytical technology resources to rapidly support small-scale development efforts for CGT researchers and startups.

Through this partnership, Matica expects to broaden its potential client base—from research institutions and startups at the early stages of development to major pharmaceutical and biotech firms requiring large-scale manufacturing.

“We will create synergies by combining Matica’s clinical and commercial manufacturing capabilities with NCTM’s strength in basic research,” Matica Biotechnology CEO Paul Kim said. “Our academic-industry collaboration aims to lower CGT development costs and ease market entry barriers.”

NCTM Director Baley Reeves also said, “By working with Matica, we aim to shorten CGT production timelines and reduce costs, enabling more researchers and biotech companies to deliver innovative therapies to patients.”