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Xcell Therapeutics is expanding in Vietnam as tighter rules on cell therapy materials push laboratories and manufacturers toward safer, more consistent production supplies.
The Korean cell and gene therapy media maker said Wednesday that it had signed a deal with MINH VIET Science Technology, a Hanoi-based distributor, to sell its CellCor cell culture media in Vietnam.
Cell culture media are nutrient mixtures used to grow cells in laboratories and manufacturing facilities. They are especially important in cell and gene therapies, where living cells may become part of the treatment itself.
Xcell said its CellCor product is a chemically defined medium, meaning its ingredients are known and controlled. That differs from older serum-based media, which often use animal-derived materials such as fetal bovine serum.
The company said the agreement gives it a second distribution channel in Vietnam and strengthens its supply network in Southeast Asia.
Vietnam has been strengthening rules for cell therapy and regenerative medicine, areas that use cells, genes or related biological materials to treat disease.
Xcell said new regulations introduced this year require stronger risk management for raw materials used in cell therapies and tougher safety checks for animal-derived components.
That could increase demand for animal-origin-free media, because they offer more predictable quality and may be easier to use in regulated manufacturing.
The shift is also linked to growing research in mesenchymal stem cells and exosomes, tiny particles released by cells that are being studied for use in regenerative medicine.
An Xcell official said Vietnam’s exosome research market was growing by more than 40 percent a year and that demand was rising for media that can meet global manufacturing and clinical standards.
Xcell currently supplies CellCor to 23 countries through 16 distributors. It said it aims to expand that network to more than 20 distributors and more than 30 countries by the end of this year.
Kim Ji-hye
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