University of Wisconsin

Johnson & Johnson’s NeuWave is getting a second chance after the company said it would discontinue the business last year . The New Brunswick, NJ-based company has sold NeuWave, a company that utilizes microwave ablation technology to provide a physician-friendly workflow during percutaneous ablations, to Quantum Surgical for an undisclosed amount. Johnson & Johnson’s Ethicon acquired NeuWave about a decade ago for an undisclosed sum. NeuWave’s ablation technology was originally developed by physicians and microwave scientists from the University of Wisconsin to maximize energy delivery to tissue and minimize invasiveness. Both Quantum and NeuWave will operate as subsidiaries of Precision IO Group, a newly created parent company. Precision IO Group will be led by medtech veteran Kurt Azarbarzin, who was recently appointed CEO. He also served as CEO of EndoQuest Robotics and Verb Surgical, a robotic joint venture between Johnson & Johnson and Verily.  Johnson & Johnson bought out Verily’s remaining stake in Verb in 2019 . Precision IO Group said its mission is to break down geographical barriers by enabling remote interventions. The new remote interventions project aims to expand access to robotic-assisted percutaneous procedures by leveraging world-renowned experts for remote trajectory planning and results assessment, using Epione tools. Quantum developed the Epione platform, which is CE-marked for abdominal, chest, and musculoskeletal structures indications, and FDA-cleared for abdominal ablation. In a release, Azarbarzin said, “Quantum Surgical and NeuWave Medical, Inc. are highly complementary and share an incredible vision for the future. I have met both teams and am impressed by the pride and passion they bring to their work to improve patient care. I believe that their technologies, both independently and combined, have the potential to position us as leaders of the industry, and to transform cancer care on a global scale.”

California-based Cellares, an integrated development and manufacturing organization for cell therapies, and the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health announced an expanded partnership to support clinical manufacturing and regulatory advancement of a CRISPR-edited GD2 CAR-T investigational therapy. The collaboration builds on an initial agreement announced in April 2025 that focused on automating the university’s internally developed CAR-T process. Following performance and reliability results from the automated manufacturing approach, the university selected Cellares to support the program’s transition to clinical manufacturing. Under the expanded agreement, Cellares will provide manufacturing support using its automated Cell Shuttle platform and Cell Q automated quality control system. The company will also provide regulatory expertise for preparation of an Investigational New Drug (IND) application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, including contributions to the Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls section, while the university retains ownership and leadership of the IND filing, the organizations said. The GD2 CAR-T program targets solid tumors in pediatric and adult patients, initially focusing on high-grade gliomas, with potential future studies in neuroblastoma, osteosarcoma and melanoma. The program uses CRISPR gene editing to modify patient T cells via electroporation, an approach that requires consistent, reproducible manufacturing to meet batch specifications, according to the announcement. Earlier this month, Cellares also announced a collaboration with Stanford University School of Medicine to automate manufacturing and release testing for gene-edited hematopoietic stem cell therapies.

Collaboration advances GD2 CAR-T investigational therapy for solid tumors toward clinical manufacturing and IND filing SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. & MADISON, Wis.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cellares, the first Integrated Development and Manufacturing Organization (IDMO), and the University of Wisconsin (UW) School of Medicine and Public Health today announced an expansion of their partnership to support clinical production and regulatory advancement of the university’s CRISPR-edited GD2 CAR-T investigational therapy for pediatric and adult solid tumors. The collaboration builds on the initial partnership announced in April 2025, which focused on automating the university’s internally developed CAR-T process. Based on the strong performance and reliability demonstrated in automated manufacturing, the university selected Cellares to support the program’s transition to clinical manufacturing. Cellares will provide manufacturing support using its Cell Shuttle™ end-to-end automated platform and Cell Q™ automated quality control platform. Cellares will also provide regulatory expertise to support the preparation and submission of an Investigational New Drug (IND) application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), including contributions to the Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls (CMC) section. The university retains full ownership and leadership of the IND filing process. The GD2 CAR-T program targets solid tumors in pediatric and adult patients, initially focusing on high-grade gliomas, and could inform future studies in neuroblastoma, osteosarcoma, and melanoma, which are GD2+ cancers with limited therapeutic options in the refractory or relapsed setting. The program uses CRISPR gene editing to modify patient T cells via electroporation, an approach that requires precise, reproducible manufacturing to ensure each batch meets specifications. The Cell Shuttle’s end-to-end automation reduces manual handling and process variability. Addressing these factors can help support advancing cell therapies to clinical trials. “Outcomes of our initial collaborative work with Cellares met the specified performance standards. We are focused on next steps for bringing this from bench to bedside,” said Christian Capitini, M.D., Professor of Pediatrics and the Jean R. Finley Professor in Pediatric Hematology and Oncology at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. “Academic medical centers originate many of the cell therapies that eventually reach patients, but the path from proof-of-concept to IND-ready production has historically added years to the development timeline,” said Fabian Gerlinghaus, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Cellares. “We believe that automated production can shorten that path and, through this clinical manufacturing collaboration with UW, we are committed to applying the Cell Shuttle and Cell Q platforms to support the full development lifecycle.” About the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health The University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health is recognized as one of the nation's leading institutions in health sciences education, research, and service. Founded in 1907 as the medical school of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, in 2005 it became the nation's first school to integrate the disciplines of medicine and public health. With a deep commitment to a vision of healthy people and healthy communities, the school translates discovery into application and interconnects clinical care, education and research. The school employs more than 5,600 faculty and staff and provides educational opportunities for nearly 3,000 students and postgraduate trainees. For federal fiscal year 2024, the school ranked #9 in the nation among public medical schools for NIH funding according to the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research. Some of the nation’s leading researchers, educators, and clinicians are among the faculty, including several National Medal of Science recipients and National Academy of Science honorees. Visit med.wisc.edu to learn more. About Cellares Cellares is the first Integrated Development and Manufacturing Organization (IDMO), providing global cell therapy development and manufacturing services through an Industry 4.0 approach to the mass manufacture of the living drugs of the 21st century. The company enables biopharmaceutical partners to develop, scale, and commercialize cell therapies with the capacity, reliability, and economics required to meet total patient demand. Cellares' fully automated platforms – Cell Shuttle™ for end-to-end cell therapy manufacturing and Cell Q™ for automated in-process and release quality control – are deployed across its network of IDMO Smart Factories worldwide. These technologies deliver industry-leading manufacturing economics, higher process success rates, and the ability to produce up to 10× more cell therapy batches than conventional CDMOs with comparable footprint and headcount, resulting in the lowest cost of manufacturing in the industry. Headquartered in South San Francisco, California, Cellares operates its first commercial-scale IDMO Smart Factory in Bridgewater, New Jersey, with additional facilities under construction in Europe and Japan. Through its global manufacturing network, Cellares is purpose-built to support both clinical and commercial programs and to expand access to life-saving cell therapies worldwide. For more information, visit and follow Cellares on LinkedIn . Contacts Cellares Contacts Business Development: bd@cellares.com Investors: ir@cellares.com Media: pr@cellares.com University of Wisconsin Contact communications@med.wisc.edu