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
Kubota Vision Inc. Signs Supply and Licensing Agreement with Laboratoires KÔL for Stargardt Disease Treatment Candidate Under Compassionate Use4.5.2026 17:16:00 CEST | Press release
Kubota Vision Inc. (“Kubota Vision”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kubota Pharmaceutical Holdings Co., Ltd. (Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan) announced signing of a Supply and Licensing Agreement with Laboratoires KÔL (Clermont-Ferrand, France) for the provision of a Stargardt disease (STGD1) treatment candidate under compassionate use authorization. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260414590785/en/ The purpose of this Agreement is for Kubota Vision and KÔL to collaborate on providing “Emixustat” for treatment of Stargardt Disease (STGD1) through compassionate use authorization in France. Kubota Vision will exclusively manufacture and supply Emixustat final products to KÔL and KÔL will have exclusive rights to distribute Emixustat in France under compassionate use access. Ryo Kubota, Chairman, President, and CEO of Kubota Pharmaceutical Holdings, stated, “We are extremely pleased to enter into this Agreement with Labor
Incentive Market Set to Surpass $80B by 2030s — IMA Launches Tools to Help the Industry Keep Pace4.5.2026 16:28:00 CEST | Press release
With combined business spend on loyalty, employee recognition, and channel incentives projected to exceed $80 billion by the 2030s, the incentive industry is entering a period of rapid scale and strategic pressure. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260422729016/en/ In response, the Incentive Marketing Association (IMA) launched a new suite of resources designed to help incentive professionals navigate an environment that’s becoming more specialized, fragmented, and central to business performance. “It’s not just more money coming in—it’s more complexity,” said Vince Chiofolo, President of the Incentive & Engagement Solution Providers (IESP). “Buyers are demanding programs that evolve fast, integrate deeply, and feel personal at scale. These new tools were built for that.” IMA’s Suite of Tools Includes: New Industry Report — Inside the Incentive Buyer’s Mind Drawn from insights of 50+ program owners, the report f
Tigo Energy Breaks Global Growth Benchmark; Boosts U.S. Energy Feature in Predict+4.5.2026 15:00:00 CEST | Press release
Advanced energy prediction platform adds real-time energy pricing for North American Independent System Operator (ISO) customers, accelerates meters-connected growth. Tigo Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: TYGO) (“Tigo” or “Company”), a leading provider of intelligent solar and energy solutions, today announced that the Predict+ platform now offers integrated real-time spot market pricing for ISO customers in the United States. Predict+ provides utilities with deep insights into grid demand, renewable generation, and energy market dynamics, enhancing the precision, scalability, and robustness of energy forecasting to up to 97.5% accuracy through machine learning and artificial intelligence. For energy providers, Predict+ helps streamline operations, reduce volatility, and maximize performance. Predict+ empowers utility operators to adapt to real-world demand challenges when balancing renewable and baseload generation sources, particularly during extreme weather events and market disruptions. On th
Airship Announces 2026 Elevate Customer Experience Award Winners4.5.2026 15:00:00 CEST | Press release
Southwest Airlines, The Economist, and OneFootball among brands recognized at Elevate’26 Customer Experience Summit for setting the standard in mobile-first and AI-centered customer experiences Airship, the mobile-first customer experience company, today announced the winners of the 2026 Elevate Customer Experience Awards. Global brand leaders from The Economist, Southwest Airlines, and OneFootball were among those honored at the Elevate’26 Customer Experience Summit. The Elevate Awards spotlight global companies that have developed exceptional mobile-first customer experiences for their customers, created innovative campaigns, leveraged AI agents to reach new levels of productivity, and achieved real business results. "Evolving mobile-first consumer behaviors and unprecedented advancements in AI are driving a seismic shift that is reshaping how brands interact with their customers," said Brett Caine, CEO, Airship. "The 2026 Elevate Award winners aren’t just adapting, they’re leading t
Alnylam to Present New Analyses at Heart Failure 2026 Underscoring Consistent Clinical Profile of Vutrisiran in ATTR-CM4.5.2026 14:30:00 CEST | Press release
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALNY), the leading RNAi therapeutics company, today announced it will present new data analyses for vutrisiran in patients with the cardiomyopathy of wild-type or hereditary transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis (ATTR-CM) at Heart Failure 2026, a scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology, taking place May 9-12, 2026, in Barcelona, Spain. ATTR-CM is a heterogeneous and rapidly progressive disease, and patients often present with complex clinical profiles. At Heart Failure 2026, Alnylam will present multiple new analyses from the Phase 3 HELIOS-B study of vutrisiran, which continue to support its use as a first-line treatment for patients with ATTR-CM, and further characterize its clinical profile across patients with a high disease burden, and in the context of concomitant therapies. Vutrisiran is the first and only transthyretin (TTR) silencer for ATTR-CM that delivers rapid knockdown of TTR at the source. Additional analyses being pr
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