In a significant development for India's biotech sector, Bengaluru's Pandorum Technologies has announced a strategic manufacturing collaboration with Nucelion Therapeutics, the contract research, development and manufacturing organisation (CRDMO) arm of the renowned Bharat Biotech. The partnership, revealed on Tuesday, is designed to significantly expand the manufacturing capabilities for Pandorum's innovative exosome-based therapeutic platform across the vast Asia-Pacific (APAC) region.
Boosting India's Biologics Manufacturing Prowess
The core of this alliance involves Pandorum leveraging Nucelion's advanced manufacturing infrastructure to ensure regional supply chain robustness and meet stringent regulatory requirements. This move is seen as a major boost to India's growing capability to develop and manufacture cutting-edge biologic therapies for global markets. By combining Pandorum's research with Nucelion's production muscle, the partnership strengthens the 'Innovate and Make in India' initiative in advanced medicine.
Dr. Jitendra Kumar, Managing Director of BIRAC under the Government of India's Department of Biotechnology, emphasised the collaboration's importance. He stated that this strategic effort to manufacture advanced therapeutics sends a strong signal about the readiness of Indian innovation and manufacturing to tackle unmet global clinical needs.
Focus on Ocular Diseases and Beyond
Pandorum's immediate pipeline targets serious eye conditions. Its current programmes are focused on patients suffering from ocular surface injury and inflammatory corneal diseases, including challenging syndromes like Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and Neurotrophic Keratitis. A key asset in this pipeline is 'Kuragenx', a designer exosome-based therapy highlighted for its potential to redefine treatment paradigms for ocular diseases in the APAC region.
However, the company's vision extends far beyond ophthalmology. Pandorum has plans to expand its portfolio of disease-modifying treatments to address degenerative changes in other organ systems. Future targets include conditions of the skin, pulmonary (lung) systems, and other organs affected by chronic inflammation, vascular pathologies, and fibrosis.
A Shared Vision for Scalable, Global Impact
Dr. Tuhin Bhowmick, Co-founder and CEO of Pandorum Technologies, outlined the strategic rationale behind the partnership. He noted that as Pandorum's programmes advance toward clinical and commercial milestones, establishing a robust, regionally aligned manufacturing infrastructure is a top priority. "Pandorum is building a global regenerative medicine platform designed for scale, consistency, and partnership," Dr. Bhowmick said.
He added that Nucelion Therapeutics brings strong expertise in advanced biologics manufacturing and a high-quality operational environment, which aligns perfectly with Pandorum's long-term goal of delivering programmable exosome therapies to patients worldwide.
Echoing this sentiment, Dr. Raghu Malapaka, Chief Business Officer of Nucelion Therapeutics, explained how their advanced manufacturing platforms and quality systems are specifically designed to support complex biologics. This expertise will be crucial in enabling the scalable production of Pandorum's exosome-based assets, ensuring these novel therapies can reach patients across APAC efficiently and reliably.
This collaboration marks a pivotal step in translating India's research in regenerative medicine into scalable, manufacturable treatments with a broad regional and global impact.
