A new partnership brings together Trenchant BioSystems technology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School expertise, and Caring Cross access programs to develop a place-of-care HSC manufacturing platform for gene-modified stem cell therapies. The effort is built around Trenchant’s AutoCell automated manufacturing system using microbubble separation as an alternative to immunomagnetic bead-based workflows. Officials say the platform is intended to operate in an ISO class 7 environment to improve efficiency and decrease manufacturing cost barriers. Initial work at UMass Chan will evaluate blood products for stem cell separation and build the automated gene transfer platform using lentiviral vectors from Caring Cross. The alliance plans preclinical studies followed by a Phase I/II clinical trial later in 2027, with an INTERACT meeting with FDA targeted for early 2027—suggesting a near-term regulatory strategy to move automated manufacturing closer to clinical feasibility.