Robotic cell processing facility for clinical research of retinal cell therapy

Motoki Terada; Yu Kogawa; Yumiko Shibata; Michinori Kitagawa; Shinya Kato; Tomomitsu Iida; Tsuyoshi Yorimitsu; Akari Kato; Kenji Matsukuma; Tadao Maeda; Masayo Takahashi; Genki N Kanda

doi:10.1016/j.slast.2023.10.004

Robotic cell processing facility for clinical research of retinal cell therapy

SLAS Technol. 2023 Dec;28(6):449-459. doi: 10.1016/j.slast.2023.10.004. Epub 2023 Oct 29.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ VCCT Inc. Kobe Eye Center Building 5F, 2-1-8 Minatojima Minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047 Japan; Kobe City Eye Hospital. 2-1-8 Minatojima Minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo, 650-0047 Japan.
² Technical Research Laboratory Innovation Division, DAI-DAN Co., Ltd. 390 Kitanagai, Miyoshi-cho, Iruma-gun, Saitama 354-0044 Japan.
³ VCCT Inc. Kobe Eye Center Building 5F, 2-1-8 Minatojima Minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047 Japan.
⁴ Laboratory for Biologically Inspired Computing, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research. 6-2-3 Furuedai, Suita, Osaka 565-0874 Japan.
⁵ Robotic Biology Institute Inc. Telecom Center Building East Wing 1F, 2-5-10 Aomi, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-0064 Japan.
⁶ VCCT Inc. Kobe Eye Center Building 5F, 2-1-8 Minatojima Minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047 Japan; Kobe City Eye Hospital. 2-1-8 Minatojima Minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo, 650-0047 Japan; Vision Care Inc. Kobe Eye Center Building 5F, 2-1-8 Minatojima Minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047 Japan. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁷ Kobe City Eye Hospital. 2-1-8 Minatojima Minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo, 650-0047 Japan; Robotic Biology Institute Inc. Telecom Center Building East Wing 1F, 2-5-10 Aomi, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-0064 Japan; Laboratory for Biologically Inspired Computing, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research. 6-2-3 Furuedai, Suita, Osaka 565-0874 Japan; Vision Care Inc. Kobe Eye Center Building 5F, 2-1-8 Minatojima Minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047 Japan. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 39470449
DOI: 10.1016/j.slast.2023.10.004

Abstract

The consistent production of high-quality cells in cell therapy highlights the potential of automated manufacturing. Humanoid robots are a useful option for transferring technology to automate human cell cultures. This study evaluated a robotic cell-processing facility (R-CPF) for clinical research on retinal cell therapy, incorporating the versatile humanoid robot Maholo LabDroid and an All-in-One CP unit. The R-CPF platform consists of a robot area for handling cells and an operator area for the maintenance of the robot, designed with a clean airflow to ensure sterility. Monitoring the falling, floating, and adhering bacteria demonstrated that the required cleanliness and aseptic environment for cell manufacturing were satisfied. We then conducted cell manufacturing equivalent to the transplantation therapy of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived retinal pigment epithelial cells that met the clinical quality standards for transplantation. These results indicate that R-CPF is suitable for cell manufacturing purposes and suggest that utilizing the same robotic system in basic and clinical research can accelerate the translation of basic research findings into clinical applications.

Keywords: Cell processing facility; Laboratory automation; Regenerative Medicine; Retinal pigment epithelium; iPS Cell.

MeSH terms

Biomedical Research
Cell Culture Techniques / methods
Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy* / methods
Humans
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells / cytology
Retina / cytology
Robotics* / instrumentation