The Malaghan Institute and BioOra Limited are working in partnership to take CAR T-cell research from benchtop to bedside - combining clinical innovation, manufacturing scale-up and commercial delivery to ensure world-class research translates into real-world impact.
Automated manufacturing of CAR T-cells using a Cocoon. Photo credit: LONZA
BioOra Limited was formed in 2021 as a partnership between the Malaghan Institute and deep tech incubator Bridgewest Ventures NZ, with funding from Callaghan Innovation. Its goal was to automate and grow the manufacture of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy in New Zealand, introducing efficiency, scalability and cost savings to this groundbreaking treatment.
As an independent company, BioOra is now building high-value development and manufacturing capability to support the delivery of advanced cell therapies in New Zealand and beyond.
BioOra has been collaborating with the Malaghan in the clinical development of our novel third-generation anti-CD19 CAR T-cell therapy (WZTL-002) for B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. On the back of the ENABLE phase 1 trial, the Malaghan is sponsoring a phase 2 registration trial – ENABLE-2 – with BioOra contracted to manufacture CAR T-cells for the trial.
The two organisations are putting in place the manufacturing, distribution and health service integration required to establish it as a standard of care if successful.
Commercial partnership for public benefit
Commercial vehicles and partnerships like BioOra are critical to taking our treatments beyond the research environment and into the health system. While the Malaghan is a charitable research institute, delivering safe, reliable and cost-effective therapies at scale requires specialised manufacturing capability and commercial infrastructure.
The Malaghan controls the rights to our third-generation anti-CD19 CAR T-cell therapy in New Zealand and Australia. We have granted BioOra access to this intellectual property to enable commercial delivery if the therapy is successfully registered. This agreement includes a commitment to affordability for the New Zealand health system.
Any revenues generated through successful commercialisation would go to BioOra, with a share returned to the Malaghan. Those funds would be reinvested into further research and development, helping create the next generation of immune-based treatments.
Contact us
If you are interested in exploring the possibilities of collaborating with us, please contact [email protected].