Designing the Future of Cell Therapy Manufacturing: Cellares, Led by Fabian Gerlinghaus, is Redefining Speed, Scale, and Precision in Personalized Medicine

The Silicon Review

In a healthcare era defined by personalized medicine, Cellares stands out as a transformative force. As the world’s first Integrated Development and Manufacturing Organization (IDMO), the company is rewriting the rules of how cell therapies are developed, manufactured, and scaled. Unlike traditional CDMOs, Cellares doesn’t merely offer contract manufacturing—it delivers vertically integrated technology and services purpose-built to handle the complexity, sensitivity, and scale required by modern cell therapies. At the helm of this innovation is co-founder and CEO Fabian Gerlinghaus, a visionary engineer and entrepreneur whose leadership is deeply rooted in solving real-world bottlenecks in the cell therapy supply chain. With a strong background in systems engineering and a track record of launching deep-tech companies, Gerlinghaus brings a rare combination of technical expertise and strategic foresight. His mission is clear: to industrialize cell therapy manufacturing and make lifesaving treatments accessible at scale. Under his guidance, Cellares has rapidly evolved from concept to a category-defining enterprise, reshaping the biopharma landscape.

What Sets Cellares Apart – The IDMO Advantage

Productivity: Cellares delivers a 10x increase in productivity, processing up to 2,800 batches per Cell Shuttle™ annually—a critical leap in a field where speed directly impacts lives.
Cost Efficiency: With automation and integrated platforms like the Cell Shuttle™ and Cell Q™, Cellares slashes manufacturing costs by up to 50% per batch, while reducing labor and facility space by 90%.
Quality & Reliability: The use of a modular, consumable cartridge system brings true end-to-end automation, achieving a 75% reduction in process failures and removing risks tied to human error or contamination.
Flexibility: Cellares’ platform supports both autologous and allogeneic modalities—ranging from CAR-T and TCR to NK and TIL therapies—ensuring broad applicability across the next generation of living drugs.

Technology Integration at the Core

Cellares’ IDMO model integrates hardware, software, and data into a seamless ecosystem. The Cell Shuttle™ handles all key cell processing steps—from enrichment and transduction to formulation—in a closed, automated system. Simultaneously, Cell Q™ powers high-throughput QC, automating standard assays and generating electronic batch records, enabling up to 6,000 batches of quality data annually. No other system offers this level of integration.

Smart Factories Built for Scale

The company’s Smart Factories—like its 118,000 sq. ft. Bridgewater, NJ site—are designed for global scalability, featuring up to 50 Cell Shuttles capable of producing 40,000+ patient doses annually. With just 6 months required for tech transfer and a 12-month horizon to full IDMO integration, these facilities promise unmatched speed and responsiveness.

Strategic Collaborations & Industry Trust

Cellares’ credibility is underscored by high-profile partnerships. Its recent collaborations with the University of Wisconsin on CRISPR-edited CAR-T for solid tumors, and with Cabaletta Bio on manufacturing tech adoption for Rese-cel, signal strong market validation. Furthermore, its FDA Advanced Manufacturing Technology designation affirms its technological and regulatory leadership.

Leadership with Proven Track Records

Under the guidance of Co-Founder & CEO Fabian Gerlinghaus, Cellares is charting a course defined by disruptive thinking and execution. Supporting him are industry veterans like John Tomtishen, who played key roles in the commercial launches of Kymriah™ and Carvykti™, and Eric Fulmer, a quality systems expert with a 25-year track record of global regulatory success. Rounding out the leadership team are accomplished professionals with deep expertise in biotech manufacturing, engineering, and automation—each bringing decades of experience in scaling life-saving therapies from lab to market. Their collective vision is not only to meet the demands of today’s cell therapy landscape but to redefine its future.

Looking Ahead: Uncapped Capacity, Accelerated Access

With a mission to accelerate access to life-saving cell therapies, Cellares isn’t just building factories—it’s building a global infrastructure capable of mass customization for personalized medicine. Its vision includes deploying a global IDMO network that can meet total patient demand, support rapid regulatory filings, and bring cell therapies to market up to 50% faster. As Cellares continues to expand its smart factory footprint and drive adoption of its technology stack, it positions itself not only as a manufacturer but as the operating system for cell therapy in the 21st century.

Fabian Gerlinghaus, Co-Founder & CEO