Collaboration with InVitria Delivers Strong T Cell Outcomes in Animal-Origin-Free Cryopreservation

September 2025

Pharmacosmos and InVitria have joined forces to tackle a central challenge in cell therapy: achieving safe, consistent, and animal-origin-free (AOF) cryopreservation for T cells. This collaboration brought together two complementary innovations—Pentahibe Base from Pharmacosmos and Optibumin® 25 from InVitria—creating a powerful formulation that pushes the boundaries of what’s possible in CAR-T manufacturing.

Pentahibe Base is already well-known as a DMSO-free, carbohydrate-based cryoprotectant that enables animal-origin-free workflows. Optibumin® 25 adds a crucial dimension as a recombinant human serum albumin (HSA), designed to replace plasma-derived albumin in cell culture and bioprocessing. Together, they form a cryopreservation strategy that not only minimizes risks but also enhances reliability across GMP-aligned manufacturing processes.

Breakthrough Results for CAR-T Workflows

The joint study demonstrated that a formulation containing 10% Pentahibe Base, 2% DMSO, and 4% Optibumin® 25 delivered outstanding results:

• High post-thaw viability at both 0 and 24 hours

• Robust T cell expansion at 72 hours

• Performance that matched or exceeded plasma-derived HSA and CryoStor CS10/CS5

• Significantly outperformed CryoStor CS2 at the same DMSO levels

All of this was achieved with just 2% DMSO, highlighting the safety and efficiency of this new AOF cryopreservation strategy.

Why It Matters

Reducing reliance on plasma-derived components and minimizing DMSO exposure are critical steps toward safer, more consistent, and regulatory-ready cell therapies. With this new formulation:

• Cryopreservation is possible at only 2% DMSO without compromising cell quality

• A fully AOF composition aligns with global regulatory requirements

• The non-penetrating, carbohydrate-based protection of Pentahibe Base minimizes toxicity risks

• The solution integrates seamlessly with established CAR-T workflows

Why Pentahibe Base Stands Out

At the core of this advance is Pentahibe Base, a non-penetrating extracellular cryoprotectant derived from pentaisomaltose—a patented Dextran 1 subfraction backed by strong clinical safety data. Unlike traditional cryoprotectants, Pentahibe Base minimizes intracellular toxicity and membrane disruption while maintaining cell integrity.

Its robust performance has already been demonstrated in T cells and other sensitive cell types such as MSCs, even at reduced DMSO concentrations. This positions Pentahibe Base as a cornerstone for safer, more consistent cryopreservation strategies.

Moving Towards Safer, Animal-Origin-Free Manufacturing

By combining Pentahibe Base with Optibumin® 25, Pharmacosmos and InVitria have shown that it is possible to build cryopreservation solutions that:

• Enable low-DMSO cryopreservation without compromising post-thaw quality

• Offer a fully animal-origin-free formulation suitable for regulatory-compliant

This collaboration underscores the power of innovative partnerships to address pressing challenges in cell therapy manufacturing.