UNIVERCELLS
18.2.2020 13:02:08 CET | Business Wire | Press release
Univercells, an innovative bioprocessing provider focused on increasing the availability of affordable biologics to address global health challenges, has announced up to EUR 50M financing from Gamma Biosciences, a new investment platform supported by leading global investment firm KKR, that is focused on next-generation bioprocessing technologies for the production of advanced biologic therapies including gene- and cell-based therapies. The investment will be deployed in a newly created subsidiary of Univercells focused on accelerating the industrialization and commercialization of Univercells’ manufacturing technologies, including the NevoLine™ biomanufacturing platform and the scale-X™ bioreactor portfolio.
With the new financing, Univercells will focus on scaling the NevoLine platform and the scale-X portfolio with a comprehensive approach to streamline production, fund innovation, enable new product and application development and drive commercial acceleration. Specifically, the investment is intended to support continued expansion into the fast-growing gene therapy segment, including new developments that will enable a range of best-in-class solutions for viral manufacturing.
“KKR and Gamma will open access to an unparalleled global network, enabling accelerated production and delivery of the NevoLine and scale-X technologies and driving commercialization,” said Hugues Bultot, CEO of Univercells. “Aligning with high-end sponsors such as KKR that back our mission to have a positive impact on global health is a true honor for our team. This investment builds on existing grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation , Global Health Investment Fund and European Investment Bank and secures our ability to create value for the market with speed, efficacy and reliability.”
Both the scale-X bioreactor portfolio and the NevoLine biomanufacturing platform have been designed and commercially validated to reduce dramatically the footprint, capital and operational expenditures required to produce a variety of biologic and viral products. The investment is driven by a shared desire to make these breakthrough technologies more readily accessible and positively impact global health via effective, cost-controlled production solutions.
“KKR, through Gamma Biosciences, seeks to back innovative and impactful next-generation bioprocessing technologies, which is why we are excited to be investing in Univercells and its mission to deliver affordable biologics and gene therapies globally. Furthermore, we are excited to be working with Hugues and his team, who have a fantastic track record of building innovative biomanufacturing companies.” said Kugan Sathiyanandarajah, Director at KKR and Head of Europe for KKR’s Health Care Strategic Growth investing efforts, and Anuv Ratan, Principal at KKR.
The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2020. Once the transaction is complete, Univercells’ remaining business will concentrate on developing a portfolio of vaccines and biosimilars to be delivered at an affordable price and establishing its services offering.
About Univercells
Univercells
is a business-to-business provider focused on increasing the availability of affordable biologics to address global health challenges. The company is developing turnkey solutions for a series of vaccines and biotherapeutics to be delivered at an affordable price. By relying on proprietary core technologies and a continuous process intensification approach, production is achieved with a smaller footprint and significantly lower overall capital and operational costs.
A global company headquartered in Gosselies (Belgium), Univercells benefits from the support of prominent stakeholders such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Global Health Investment Fund and the European Investment Bank.
About KKR
KKR is a leading global investment firm that manages multiple alternative asset classes, including private equity, energy, infrastructure, real estate and credit, with strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns for its fund investors by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and driving growth and value creation with KKR portfolio companies. KKR invests its own capital alongside the capital it manages for fund investors and provides financing solutions and investment opportunities through its capital markets business. References to KKR's investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds. For additional information about KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE: KKR), please visit KKR's website at www.kkr.com and on Twitter @KKR_Co.
About Gamma Biosciences
Gamma Biosciences is a life sciences tools platform created by KKR. Gamma’s mission is to build a leading player in next-generation bioprocessing for advanced therapies by acquiring or investing in high-potential businesses with outstanding technology and accelerating their growth.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200218005465/en/
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
H55 Delivers Certification-Grade Propulsion Battery Modules to Pratt & Whitney Canada, Supporting Demonstration of Hybrid-Electric Aircraft Technology9.6.2026 17:31:00 CEST | Press release
Production-conforming systems manufactured in a regulator-approved facility mark H55’s transition from technology development to commercialization of certification-grade energy storage solutions for hybrid-electric aviation. H55 today announced the delivery of certification-grade propulsion battery modules to Pratt & Whitney Canada in support of the RTX Hybrid-Electric Flight Demonstrator — a milestone that further validates H55’s transition from technology development to industrial-scale execution and represents an important step in the commercialization of the company’s certification-grade energy storage technologies for hybrid-electric aerospace applications. Pratt & Whitney is an RTX business. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260609825006/en/ H55 Adagio Battery Modules in Pratt & Whitney Canada Hangar ©RTX The delivery represents more than hardware integration. It demonstrates H55’s ability to manufacture p
New Polymorph of Indomethacin Discovered9.6.2026 17:00:00 CEST | Press release
- Joint Research Involving Rigaku Published in Crystal Growth & Design - Rigaku Corporation, a global solution partner in X-ray analytical systems and a group company of Rigaku Holdings Corporation (headquarters: Akishima, Tokyo; CEO: Jun Kawakami; “Rigaku”), announced that the results of a joint research project conducted with Shionogi & Co., Ltd., JEOL Ltd., and Meiji Pharmaceutical University have been published in Crystal Growth & Design, a world-renowned international journal in the field of crystallography. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260609347405/en/ Cover of the June 2026 issue of Crystal Growth & Design, featuring this research. This research uncovered a previously unknown polymorph (κ-form) of indomethacin, a widely used pain relief and anti-inflammatory drug. The research team also conducted structural analysis and characterization of the newly identified crystal form. Although indomethacin has
SLB Collaborates with Qualcomm on Edge AI Solutions for Energy Operations9.6.2026 16:28:00 CEST | Press release
Collaboration combines edge computing and energy workflows to support real-time operational decision-making Global energy technology company SLB (NYSE: SLB) today announced a memorandum of understanding with Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. to enable edge AI solutions for the energy industry, supporting real-time operational decision-making across wells, facilities and production systems. The collaboration combines Qualcomm Technologies’ low-power edge computing and AI processing capabilities, with SLB’s Agora™ edge AI and IoT solutions developed for remote and operationally complex environments. “Together, SLB and Qualcomm Technologies aim to help operators apply AI more effectively across energy infrastructure,” said Rakesh Jaggi, president, Digital, SLB. “Many energy operations rely on real-time decision-making in remote environments where connectivity and responsiveness directly affect performance. AI systems designed around the realities of energy operations can help support more consi
RevBits and Stony Brook University’s Ethos Lab Establish a Collaborative Partnership to Further the Field of Cyber Security Education and Application9.6.2026 16:15:00 CEST | Press release
Through the partnership, RevBits will provide its full suite of cybersecurity solutions to Stony Brook University’s Ethos Lab, to deliver the capability to advance student education and equip them with the knowledge needed to face modern cyber threats in a realistic, contained environment. Stony Brook University’s (SBU) Ethos Lab, in the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences Department of Computer Science, recently announced a collaborative partnership with RevBits, LLC. Through the partnership, SBU’s Ethos Lab will utilize the RevBits solutions suite to build computer science labs and a cybersecurity-focused curriculum, reinforcing lessons from the classroom. The platform simulates environments containing five major threat landscapes, including Endpoint Security, Privileged Access Management, Email Security, Zero Trust Network and Deception Technology. SBU’s Department of Computer Science was recently designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity Resear
Marie® by Leo Cancer Care Makes History at Stanford Medicine — World First in Compact Upright Proton Therapy9.6.2026 15:22:00 CEST | Press release
The first patient treated was a child. The milestone marks the moment upright proton therapy moves from innovation to adoption — and reflects exactly what Leo Cancer Care built Marie® to achieve Following the landmark first treatment at Stanford Medicine Cancer Center Care June 4, Leo Cancer Care today announces the role of its Marie® upright patient positioning and imaging platform in enabling the world's first compact upright proton therapy patient treatment. Delivered using the Mevion S250-FIT™ Proton Therapy System and powered by RayStation from RaySearch, the milestone is the culmination of a decade of development. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260609870736/en/ The treatment room at Stanford Medicine Cancer Center, Palo Alto, California, housing the Marie® upright patient positioning platform by Leo Cancer Care (center foreground) integrated with the Mevion S250-FIT™ Proton Therapy System. The circular
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom