Bharat Biotech’s CRDMO Nucelion Partners VeGen Bio to develop India’s first dual-target CAR-T cell therapy | Hyderabad News

Hyderabad: Bharat Biotech’s contract research, development and manufacturing organisation (CRDMO) arm Nucelion Therapeutics Pvt Ltd has entered into a strategic alliance with Hyderabad-based VeGen Bio Pvt Ltd to transfer, develop and manufacture VeGen’s lead cell therapy candidate, VL-2511, for multiple myeloma.The two companies are looking at advancing VL-2511, India’s first dual-target CAR-T cell therapy for multiple myeloma, into Phase 1 and 2 trials and eventually commercialising it by 2028.Under the agreement, Nucelion, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bharat Biotech, will act as technology-transfer and clinical- and commercial-stage manufacturing partner for VL-2511 at its single-site GMP facility in Hyderabad.The facility is designed to meet standards of India’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) as well as US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA).VL-2511 is an autologous CAR-T cell therapy that is designed to target both BCMA and CD19, two antigens associated with multiple myeloma. The dual-target approach is intended to reduce antigen escape, a process in which cancer cells evade immune recognition by losing or lowering expression of a target antigen.VeGen said the therapy has clinical experience in China, ongoing development in the United States and a recommended Phase II dose.The collaboration will focus on therapeutic translation, process development, analytical testing, GMP cell processing, vector-enabled transduction, aseptic fill-finish, cryopreservation, quality control and release testing. The companies said they will also work to improve manufacturing yields, operational efficiency and production economics to support broader access to advanced cell therapies in India.Raghu Malapaka, chief business officer of Nucelion, said many CAR-T programmes struggle to move from promising constructs to reliable large-scale production, but the partnership will help build the capacity that India needs to bring these advanced therapies to patients.Prashant Bhavar, director of VeGen Bio, said the partnership will create a coordinated pathway for technology transfer, manufacturing, scalability and pipeline expansion.He said the objective was to build an end-to-end ecosystem for Indian cell therapy innovation that creates sustainable value while making next-generation treatments more accessible and affordable for Indian patients.Beyond multiple myeloma, VL-2511 is also being studied for POEMS syndrome and selected autoimmune disorders, including systemic lupus erythematosus. Nucelion said the platform could later support additional VeGen therapy candidates across haematological and immune-mediated indications.