(Yicai) Dec. 19 -- Juncell Therapeutics has opened the world’s largest tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte facility in Shanghai and plans to produce and market its innovative GC101 TIL therapy for advanced melanoma by 2026.

Covering over 16,000 square meters, the facility includes production, quality control, data management, and operational centers, the Shanghai-based company announced yesterday. It will be able to turn out products for between 6,000 and 10,000 patients per year.

The new base will advance TIL product development and accelerate the industrial application of disruptive innovative technologies, Juncell said. The drugmaker’s first such product, GC101, will be produced there, an employee stated.

TILs are a group of lymphocytes within tumor tissues. They are capable of directly attacking tumors within the tumor microenvironment, and TIL-based therapies have shown promising results in a variety of cancers, including melanoma, cervical cancer, and lung cancer, underscoring their potential as a powerful tool in precision immunotherapy.

Juncell recently received approval to begin phase two clinical trials of GC101 and expects the therapy to be launched by 2026.

At an industry conference also held yesterday, Chen Kaixian, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that China has made significant progress in cell therapies. Chen also expressed confidence in Juncell being able to launch its new product soon, so long as it achieves positive results in the phase two human trials.

In February, the world’s first TIL cell therapy, Lifileucel, received accelerated approval from the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of advanced melanoma.

Editor: Tom Litting