Dutch Biotech Firm Joins $7.3 Million Project to Store Cell Therapies Without Refrigeration

2026-10-02 biotech

Leiden, Friday 2 October 2026
CaseBioscience has joined a US-funded consortium to develop room-temperature storage for cell therapies, aiming to make shipping living cells as simple and cheap as aspirin.

Eliminating the Cold Chain Bottleneck

On 1 October 2026, the biotechnology firm CaseBioscience announced its selection by the US Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) to join an ambitious, multidisciplinary research consortium [1][2][5]. Led by Likarda, the consortium has secured a high-profile federal award of up to $7.3 million under the BioStabilization Systems (BoSS) programme [1][2][5]. The primary objective of this initiative is to develop pioneering technologies capable of producing, storing, and shipping therapeutic cells at room temperature [1][2][5]. By removing the costly and logistically challenging requirement for continuous refrigeration, the project aims to make life-saving biological medicines as straightforward to transport and store as ordinary aspirin [1][2][5].

A Multidisciplinary Coalition for Ambient Storage

The consortium, operating under the project name Reversible Ambient BioStabilization (RAB), represents one of only three teams selected nationwide to participate in the prestigious BoSS programme [1][2][5]. To tackle the complex biophysical challenges of room-temperature preservation, Likarda has assembled a diverse group of academic and industrial partners [1][2][5]. Alongside CaseBioscience, the RAB team includes Draper, CPSI Biotech, Fresenius Kabi, MiNK Therapeutics, and the Spencer Lab based at the University of Colorado Boulder [1][2][5]. This collaborative effort marks a significant step forward in the lab-to-market transition for advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) [GPT].

Overcoming Two Decades of Scientific Barriers

The quest to preserve living cells in a dry state is far from new, yet it has historically been stymied by immense scientific hurdles [1][2]. Dr John Baust, a leading expert in the field of biopreservation collaborating on the project with CPSI Biotech, noted that while this concept has been actively pursued for more than two decades, engineering and scientific barriers have previously restricted its success [1][2]. The BoSS programme, however, provides an unprecedented framework to address these multi-layered technical challenges simultaneously from several scientific directions [1][2]. The initial phase of this collaborative R&D effort officially commenced on 24 September 2026 and is scheduled to span a 15-month development period [1][2][5].

Reviving Historical Foundations with Modern Standards

This cutting-edge project builds upon foundational research that began approximately 25 years ago, around the year 2001 [1][2]. Dr Lynda McGinnis, now the R&D Director at CaseBioscience, was part of the pioneering team in Boston that first explored the desiccated storage of sperm [1][2]. Reflecting on the new initiative, Dr McGinnis expressed excitement at the opportunity to revisit these early concepts, stating that the industry is ripe for a entirely new paradigm in how cells are stored and transported for clinical therapies and reproductive medicine [1][2]. CaseBioscience is well-positioned to support this transition, maintaining an FDA-registered manufacturing facility and operating under a strict ISO 13485:2016-certified quality system [1][2].

Unlocking Global Access to Advanced Therapies

CaseBioscience will leverage its specialized expertise in biopreservation, cell metabolism, and the development of clinical media to advance the RAB project’s long-term cell stabilization goals [1][2][4]. Dr Kevin Flynn, Chief Scientific Officer at CaseBioscience, highlighted the collaboration as a unique opportunity to bring their proprietary capabilities to a deep scientific consortium and explore previously impossible technological pathways [1][2]. Ultimately, the success of the BoSS programme could democratize global healthcare [1][2]. Ami Mezezi, Co-Founder and Managing Director of CaseBioscience, emphasized that turning living cell therapies into products as easy to distribute as conventional pharmaceuticals would fundamentally transform patient access to next-generation medicine [1][2].

Sources & Ecosystem Partners

biotech funding cell therapy