GAINESVILLE, Fla., May 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Kincell Bio, LLC, a technology-forward contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) focused on cell therapies, today announced the appointment of Mark R. Bamforth as the Company’s new Board Chairman. This strategic appointment further strengthens Kincell’s position as the Company continues to expand its capacity to provide high-quality support for the cell therapy market. Mr. Bamforth will replace the current Board Chairman, Shailesh Maingi, who will remain on the Board.
“In advanced biopharmaceutical manufacturing, Mark has a demonstrated ability to scale best-in-class CDMOs with high performing teams that have been market leaders in the cell and gene therapy, microbiome and monoclonal antibody sectors,” said Mr. Maingi. “As he takes on the role of Board Chairman at Kincell, his wealth of experience and strategic vision plus his commitment to scientific excellence, has the potential to propel the Company to new heights and to deliver cell therapies to clients and their patients.”
A serial entrepreneur with decades of experience building value in biotech, Mr. Bamforth has founded, built and sold three CDMOs. He currently invests in and mentors U.S.- and Scottish-based life science entrepreneurs in addition to serving as a general partner in an antimicrobial resistance fund. In May 2019, Mr. Bamforth founded Arranta Bio, an advanced therapeutics CDMO focused on the microbiome, plasmid and mRNA vaccines, which was sold to Recipharm in April 2022. Prior, he founded Brammer Bio, a best-in-class viral vector CDMO for cell and gene therapies that supported leading innovators. Brammer’s team grew six-fold, reaching over 600 employees at the time of its acquisition by Thermo Fisher Scientific in April 2019. In 2010, Mr. Bamforth founded a biologics CDMO, Gallus BioPharmaceuticals, and acquired a world-class facility and team with a commercial supply agreement with Janssen. The Company tripled through organic growth and merged with Laureate Biopharma, before being sold to DPx Holdings (Patheon) in 2014. Mr. Bamforth spent 22 years at Genzyme, with nearly a decade as a corporate officer leading the Company’s 12-site global manufacturing operation and a pharmaceutical CMO unit. He serves on the boards of Continuus Pharma, Pneumagen, Enterobiotix and Entrepreneurial Scotland. Mr. Bamforth has a BS in Chemical Engineering from Strathclyde University and an MBA from Henley Management College.
“I’m excited to leverage my experience to help guide the leadership team at Kincell as they continue expanding Kincell’s cell engineering footprint in the delivery of transformative healthcare solutions for clients. The Company’s dedication to innovation, process development and manufacturing excellence resonates deeply with me,” said Mr. Bamforth. “Together, we will accelerate the adoption of our clients’ cell therapies, harnessing the power of cutting-edge technology to revolutionize patient care through personalized medicine.”
About Kincell Bio
Kincell Bio, LLC (“Kincell” or the “Company”) engineers cells into therapies. The Company is a technology-forward contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) formed to streamline analytical development, process development, CMC consulting and GMP manufacturing for cellular therapies. With facilities in Gainesville, Fla. to support early clinical supply production and in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina with a phase II/III facility to support late-stage development, Kincell’s focus is on the development and manufacturing of immune cell therapies, including autologous and allogeneic CAR-T, CAR-NK and CAR-M programs for clients. For more information, visit www.kincellbio.com.
