A new collaboration seeks to develop a place-of-care manufacturing platform for autologous gene-modified hematopoietic stem cells, combining automation technology with academic and access-focused expertise. The alliance brings Trenchant BioSystems’ AutoCell automated cell and gene therapy platform together with University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School and Caring Cross. The platform is designed to separate stem cells using microbubble-based methods as an alternative to immunomagnetic bead separation, aiming to reduce facility requirements and lower costs. The partnership plans initial evaluation and process building toward a lentiviral vector-based gene transfer workflow for later preclinical studies. If successful, the group plans to hold an FDA INTERACT meeting in early 2027 and launch a phase I/II trial later that year in sickle cell disease or beta thalassemia, signaling a push to operationalize gene therapy outside centralized manufacturing sites.