Bracco Invests in GMP Manufacturing Facility for Cell Therapy Product

• Facility upgrades support clinical-grade manufacturing of Bracco’s microbubble-based cell selection and activation technology
• GMP readiness expected mid-2027

MARCH 31, 2026, Princeton, NJ – Bracco Imaging, a global pharmaceutical company that develops, manufactures, and markets innovative healthcare solutions, announced an upgrade of its manufacturing site in Geneva to support clinical-grade GMP manufacturing of its cell therapy-enabling microbubble technology, building on its previously announced Investments in the site since 2019. Commercial access to the GMP-grade cell selection and activation product will be ready by the middle of 2027.

The upgrade will expand Bracco’s internal manufacturing capabilities for its streptavidin-conjugated lipid-based microbubble platform. Today, most cell therapy workflows rely on 40-year-old magnetic bead technologies for cell enrichment, a key manufacturing process. That traditional approach requires multiple time-consuming steps that can introduce regulatory and quality challenges. Bracco's innovative microbubbles can both separate and activate specific cell subtypes in a single step, streamlining manufacturing for a variety of cell therapy modalities that have struggled toward commercial scalability.

The facility modernization includes installation of automated compounding equipment, new purification systems, and an open Restricted Access Barrier System (RABS) to enhance product protection during aseptic operations. The revamp will enable larger batch production of the streptavidin-conjugated microbubbles and improve process monitoring and manufacturing control. All process development and engineering activities are being performed internally through close collaboration among Bracco’s manufacturing, quality control, safety and biology, and quality assurance teams.

"This additional investment in our Geneva facility marks an important milestone in our mission to provide best-in-class cell selection and activation solutions to the cell and gene therapy industry," said Sophie He, Bracco’s Vice President, Cell Therapy. "By modernizing our GMP manufacturing capabilities, we are not only increasing our capacity to serve a rapidly growing market but also ensuring that our partners and customers can rely on the consistent quality, scalability, and regulatory compliance that advanced therapies demand."

“Our teams have already demonstrated strong technical expertise with this platform,” said Thierry Bettinger, Director of Bracco Research Center Geneva. "These upgrades allow us to scale production while maintaining rigorous quality standards as we prepare for GMP-compliant manufacturing."

Bracco’s Geneva-based R&D facility has maintained GMP certification from Swissmedic, the Swiss health authority, for nearly three decades. The newly announced upgrades are designed to align the site with evolving GMP expectations while supporting ongoing nonclinical studies and preparing the company for scaled production of ancillary materials used in advanced cell therapy workflows.

About Bracco’s Cell Selection and Activation Solution for Cell Therapy Workflows

Bracco is offering a lipid-based, gas-filled microbubble technology for non-magnetic, bead-free, column-free cell selection and activation across cell therapy research and manufacturing workflows. It adapts Bracco’s proven microbubble technology that has been clinically validated and used in contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging for 25 years.

The technology uses proprietary streptavidin-conjugated lipid microbubbles to enable ligand-driven targeting of a wide range of immune cell subsets and supports positive, negative, and sequential selection, as well as simultaneous selection and activation. It enables gentle cell handling and clean cell release without magnetic residuals, supporting downstream processes such as genetic modification and expansion.

Unlike bead-based approaches, Bracco’s cell selection and activation microbubble technology can be removed simply by popping them or leaving them undisturbed for a short period of time, helping teams avoid magnetic residuals, which are thought to interfere with downstream steps such as electroporation, viral or non-viral gene modification, and cell expansion. Its ligand-driven targeting approach allows for cell selection of a variety of cell subtypes, all the while preserving cell viability and functionality to support reproducible, scalable processing.

Designed as an open, integration-ready platform, this technology is compatible with automated and closed manufacturing systems and is supported by Bracco’s investments in cell therapy infrastructure. This technology is expected to be available for clinical use by mid-2027, at Bracco's GMP-certified manufacturing site in Geneva, Switzerland.

Learn more at www.bracco.com/celltherapy

For research use only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.

About Bracco Imaging

Bracco Imaging is a global leader in diagnostic imaging, dedicated to improving people’s lives by shaping the future of prevention and precision medicine. With a strong passion for innovation, the company develops and provides a broad portfolio of pharmaceutical products for diagnostic imaging: contrast agents for X-ray, Computed Tomography (CT), and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), as well microbubbles for Contrast Enhanced Ultrasound (CEUS), and Molecular Imaging through radioactive tracers and novel PET imaging agents, alongside specialized medical devices and related services.

The company is committed to advancing radiology by sharing knowledge to cultivate future thought leaders, linking today’s practice with tomorrow’s progress. Since 1927, Bracco Imaging has grown to more than 3,800 employees and now supports patients and radiology professionals in over 100 countries.

Discover Bracco Imaging at www.bracco.com