NextCell Pharma has formed a subsidiary company, QVance, specializing in quality control analytics.

QVance, based in Huddinge, will specialize in quality analyses for advanced therapeutic companies, including NextCell, in the growing cell and gene therapy market. “It will address a large gap in the Nordic region, where there is a significant lack of local providers in this area,” states the company. In 2023, the “ATMP 2030” initiative was launched with a vision to transform the healthcare system and make Sweden a world leader in ATMPs. NextCell Pharma is a partner in this initiative, together with other key players such as the Swedish Medical Products Agency, many of the regional associations in Sweden, large hospitals and large pharmaceutical companies such as Astra Zeneca.

Read more: NextCell Pharma updates growth strategy

QVance’s business model is based on fee-for-service and vision is to provide local analytics to those in the Nordics, offering an array of quality control assays, product release and bespoke assay development for companies of all sizes, describes the company. Analytical equipment, cleanroom space and expert staff will be transferred from NextCell to the new company, which will be a service provider for NextCell and other ATMP companies.

“We are leading the development of cell therapies and have identified a growing need for quality analyses in the Nordics. QVance has been borne out of an understanding of what ATMP developers need and what is currently missing in our region. NextCell’s own experience has highlighted this gap as we ourselves move through the development pathway of our own drug candidate, ProTrans,” says NextCell’s CEO Mathias Svahn.

Photo: iStock