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 subfraction of low molecular dextran 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.