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
C.H. Robinson Launches World's First AI Technology That Continually Assesses, Improves and Operates Global Supply Chains3.6.2026 18:00:00 CEST | Press release
The newest innovation for Managed Solutions, the Lean AI Engineer, is the brain of the system As the global leader in Lean AI supply chains, C.H. Robinson has built the first AI technology designed to both operate a shipper’s global supply chain and also continuously assess and improve its performance. Now serving the company’s 4PL Managed Solutions customers, a new Lean AI Engineer works in concert with the Lean AI Planner introduced last year to create one connected system that uniquely enhances a supply chain as it runs. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260520874794/en/ The Lean AI Engineer can assess an entire supply chain in 25 to 30 minutes and determine improvements before performance is impacted – compared to supply chain assessments that typically take up to four weeks and look backward at what has happened instead of what should happen. While the Lean AI Engineer delivers intel, the Lean AI Planner ma
Leading Global Brain Science Conference OHBM 2028 to Be Held in Yokohama3.6.2026 17:00:00 CEST | Press release
Yokohama has won the bid to host the 2028 Annual Meeting of the Organization for Human Brain Mapping (OHBM 2028), one of the world’s premier international conferences in brain science, further elevating the city’s presence as a global hub for international conventions and academic exchange. The meeting will take place at PACIFICO Yokohama from June 18–22 and will mark only the second time the meeting has been held in Japan. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260603787692/en/ YOKOHAMA JAPAN'S FIRST PORT OF CALL OHBM is a leading international academic society in the fields of brain imaging, neuroscience, and neurological-disease research. Its annual meeting attracts around 3,000 researchers, healthcare professionals, and industry representatives from around the world. OHBM 2028 will be organized in collaboration with the Japan Human Brain Mapping Society (JHBM, President: Yoshikazu Ugawa and Tetsuya Matsuda). The
Almarai Launches the 2026 Cycle of the World’s Largest Award for Food Security Research in Dryland Regions3.6.2026 16:31:00 CEST | Press release
The Almarai Prize - the international track of the Almarai Prize for Scientific Creativity - invites leading global research institutions and PhD‑holding scientists to nominate standout research that advances food security in dryland regions. Self‑nominations are not allowed; only PhD‑level nominators may submit, and institutions may nominate up to three projects. The prize totals USD 500,000 (SAR 1,875,000), awarded to one winning research project or institution. The 2026 cycle of the Almarai Prize, international track of the Almarai Prize for Scientific Creativity, has officially opened, calling on leading research institutions, distinguished scientists, and global experts to nominate pioneering research that advances food security in the world’s driest regions. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260603753914/en/ Almarai Launches the 2026 Cycle of the World’s Largest Award for Food Security Research in Dryland
Stabilizing Grids and Cutting Costs in Half: Europe Is Banking on Grid-Relevant Storage Systems3.6.2026 15:50:00 CEST | Press release
The European battery market is scaling up at record speed: According to the latest Solar+ Report from SolarPower Europe, at the end of 2025, the installed storage fleet in the EU had reached a total capacity of 40 gigawatts (GW) and a storage capacity of 77 gigawatt hours (GWh). This is an increase of over 45 percent compared to the previous year. By 2030, the study’s Solar+ scenario forecasts that capacity will quadruple to 171 GW, while storage capacity will increase eightfold to 598 GWh. As growing solar and wind capacities place increasing demands on European grids, storage systems will need to shift electricity over many hours. As a result, the average storage duration will go up from 1.9 to 3.5 hours. This represents a technological leap that underscores the need to establish more grid-relevant storage systems. Taking place in Munich from June 23–25, ees Europe will showcase how the industry is meeting this enormous demand. As Europe’s largest exhibition for batteries and energy
2026 World Cup Triggers Corporate Travel Boom in Canada and U.S.3.6.2026 15:00:00 CEST | Press release
Navan data reveals Canadian business bookings have tripled, while U.S. hotel prices spike 30% as global enterprises lock in client entertainment Navan (NASDAQ: NAVN), the global AI-powered business travel and expense management platform, today released year-over-year data revealing global enterprises are leaning in heavily to the upcoming 2026 World Cup, with hotel and flight bookings for business travel to World Cup host cities up 46% to the U.S. and a massive 295% to Canada. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260602020779/en/ Navan data reveals Canadian business bookings have tripled, while U.S. hotel prices spike 30% as global enterprises lock in client entertainment “While headlines right now are focusing on softer-than-expected tourism demand and lagging leisure hotel bookings, our corporate data tells a different story,” said Dane Molter, SVP, Navan Group Travel Marketplace. “Companies are embracing the Wor
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