BioCision, a life science research and development company that standardizes basic laboratory processes, has announced the formation of MedCision, an independent company focused on automation of preclinical and clinical processes.

“The formation of MedCision is driven by a critical need in the market—innovative, standardization technologies and solutions for translational, clinical and point-of-care settings,” said Rolf O. Ehrhardt, M.D., Ph.D., BioCision CEO. “MedCision will be a leader in developing and commercializing innovative instruments for crucial processes in the post-manufacturing cell and gene therapy space.”

Dr. Ehrhardt continued, “The name of the company, MedCision, creates a clear connection to our BioCision roots but also conveys an evolution from those roots as our technology will focus on automating point-of-care clinical processes.”

The creation of MedCision as a stand-alone company with a dedicated management team will provide the necessary focus and foundation for long-term value generation in the clinical tools space. Commercialization of the award-winning ThawSTAR cell thawing platform will initially be the focus of MedCision.

Cell thawing, the last step a cellular product undergoes before patient administration, is one of the most important parts of the post manufacturing process. Rapid, uniform, non-fluid based thawing is necessary to maintaining therapeutic efficacy. ThawSTAR’s automated cell thawing platform makes it easy to ensure proper clinical handling and thawing across a range of volumes and storage formats. At the same time, the platform automatically incorporates temperature monitoring and data connectivity, both of which are critical to ensuring proper sample tracking and patient safety.

The ThawSTAR platform is experiencing rapid adoption into cell therapy research and development as part of clinical trials and will accelerate with the soon-to-be-announced Early Adopter Program. As the flagship product of this new company, the ThawSTAR platform will be expanded over the next 12 months with additional models and features.

MedCision corporate offices will be headquartered in San Rafael, California and spearheaded by former members of the BioCision senior management team. Rolf Ehrhardt, will serve as president and CEO, Ron DiNocco, chief financial officer and VP of Corporate Development, Eric Kunkel, SVP of Research and Development and Sam Kent, SVP Global Sales and Business Development.