IMPACT Center Secures International Grant, powering Accessible CAR-T Therapy in Chile

The IMPACT Center of Excellence from the Universidad de los Andes, in Santiago and co-funded by ANID has been awarded a USD $85,000 grant from ScaleReady's G-Rex® Grant Program.

The IMPACT Center in Chile focuses on translating cutting-edge research in cell and gene therapy into clinical applications. Its mission is to develop and implement innovative therapies for cancer, musculoskeletal, and hematological diseases through a public-private partnership that integrates research, clinical trials, and biomanufacturing. The center is committed to improve patient outcomes through accessible advanced interventions.
IMPACT ensures high scientific rigor, regulatory compliance, and traceability via its integrated CRO unit for clinical trials called CRIO. TRACE is another recently formed unit of the center for tracking and traceability, and adherence to Good Laboratory Practice (GLP).
IMPACT is proud to be selected for the G-Rex® Grant Program. This initiative, led by ScaleReady in collaboration with Wilson Wolf and CellReady, supports innovation in cell and gene therapy manufacturing.
"This recognition reflects our dedication to developing disruptive technologies in cell and gene therapy. Beyond technical transfer, we aim to ensure patients in Chile have access to advanced therapies, guaranteeing equal opportunities for all. This step brings us closer to our mission of transforming global health, always with the patient at the center," said Dr. Maroun Khoury, principal investigator of the proposal and director of IMPACT
IMPACT focus on clinical translation in advanced therapies, precision biomarkers, and tissue engineering, is proud to announce its selection as a recipient of the G-Rex® Grant Program. This initiative is spearheaded by ScaleReady in collaboration with Wilson Wolf and CellReady.
This recognition enables IMPACT to access cutting-edge devices, reagents, and operational expertise to implement a G-Rex® centric cell manufacturing platform. This will accelerate the development of gene and cell therapies while also optimizing existing processes to enhance efficiency and reduce manufacturing costs under cGMP standards.
A Boost for Advanced Therapy Innovation in Chile
ScaleReady's G-Rex® Grant Program is unique in its focus on simplicity, flexibility, and trust-based collaboration. This milestone strengthens IMPACT's commitment to leading innovative solutions that transform patients' lives through advanced cell and gene therapies.
.
About the G-Rex® Grant Program
Launched by ScaleReady and its strategic partners, the program seeks to democratize access to advanced technologies, accelerating preclinical research, process development, and manufacturing under quality standards.
The ScaleReady G-Rex® Grant Program has awarded over $20 million to advance the development and manufacturing of cell and genetically modified therapies (CGT) by awarding individual grants of up to $300,000. G-Rex® Grant recipients also access exclusive support from the growing consortium of ScaleReady's G-Rex® Grant partners, offering top-tier tools, technologies, and expertise in cGMP manufacturing, quality and regulatory matters, CGT business operations, and more.
"ScaleReady is excited to support IMPACT with a G-Rex® Grant to implement an efficient, cost-effective, CAR-T manufacturing process. We look forward to collaborating with IMPACT to expand access to CAR-T treatments for patients Chile " said John Wilson, CEO of Wilson Wolf Manufacturing Corporation and co-inventor of G-Rex®.

The grant will provide G-Rex® bioreactors and the state-of-the-art closed system adaptations to facilitate process development and consulting from G-Rex Optimization Specialists, simplifying efforts to meet regulatory requirements and optimize clinical manufacturing of this novel cell therapy. "IMPACT's proposal also envisions that the knowledge and data generated through this collaboration will be shared with the scientific community, contributing to global advancements in Cell and Gene Therapy manufacturing platforms," explained Diego Castro, Senior Project Manager at IMPACT.
In detail, the G-Rex® contribution will be utilized by the IMPACT T-cell Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR-T) therapy program during parameter optimization stages and later preclinical studies of antitumor activity, advancing to preclinical studies. The resulting data will lay the groundwork for designing a patient proof-of-concept study.

impact.info@uandes.cl

Av. Mons. Álvaro del Portillo 12455, Las Condes - Santiago, Chile
https://centerimpact.cl/contact/

About IMPACT
A non-profit research Center at the Universidad de los Andes, Santiago, Chile funded by the National Agency for Research and Development of Chile (ANID) that seeks to quickly and efficiently transfer new treatments and advanced therapies in clinical trials that improve the quality of life and human health with state-of-the-art clinical solutions for four areas: Cancer, Musculoskeletal, Mental Health, and Perinatal.
https://centerimpact.cl/contact/

About ScaleReady
ScaleReady provides the field of cell and gene-modified cell therapy (CGT) with a G-Rex centric manufacturing platform that enables the world's most practical, flexible, scalable, and affordable CGT drug product development and manufacturing.
For more information about the ScaleReady G-Rex® Grant Program, please contact info@scaleready.com.

This release was published on openPR.