How Kite is manufacturing cancer treatment at its cell therapy facility in the Amsterdam Area

A highly individualised treatment

Cell therapy is an individualised treatment that harnesses a patient’s own immune cells to specifically target and attack cancer cells. It is used for the treatment of certain types of blood cancers. Approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in 2018, Kite’s cell therapy is manufactured with a type of white blood cells (T-cells) from a specific patient as starting material.

As Van Erp explains, “T-cells are taken from the patient's blood and modified to recognise and attack the cancer cells. These modified T-cells are given back to the patient via a one-time, single infusion. Taken from patients in over 300 qualified hospitals across 3 continents, these cells are transported to the Kite facility in Hoofddorp. Once they arrive, the cells are engineered and expanded in approximately 17 days, before being sent back to the treatment center and administered to the same patient."

Remarkable growth

Kite established as a company in Santa Monica in 2009. In 2015, Kite bought T-Cell Factory in Amsterdam, a spin-off from the Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI), to further contribute to cell therapy development. At that time, the Dutch team had only 3 employees. Kite was later purchased by the US-owned biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences, in 2017. 

Having moved to a 19,000m2 facility in Hoofddorp in March 2020, Kite has grown to currently over 900 highly skilled employees, with the capacity to supply up to 4000 cell therapy treatments a year. From its only production facility in Europe, Kite collaborates closely with over 300 qualified hospitals in Europe and beyond to supply cell therapy to patients in 23 countries.     

Looking at the future, there’s no sign of things slowing down.

Great logistics in a growing hub

As this is an individualised treatment - with cells needing to be taken from a patient and infused back into the same individual, there’s no doubt that cell therapy comes with some unique logistical requirements. Van Erp explains: “Once the cells have been taken, the clock ticks, and there are around 70 hours maximum to transport them to our manufacturing facility. During their journey, they have to be kept within a constant 4°C-8°C range. After engineering, on their way back to the hospital, it’s even -150°C. With Amsterdam Schiphol Airport being a major European transport hub, our location next to it provides us with quick and convenient access to Europe and beyond, which is crucial to our operation. It just makes sense for us to be situated here, in this area.”

Van Erp makes special mention of the European Medicines Agency, the agency in charge of evaluating and supervising pharmaceutical products, and the role it has played for the industry.

Amsterdam's international environment

Amsterdam has four hospitals located close to each other, and within a 50 km radius - including Utrecht and Leiden - you’ll find several world-class academic institutes. Together, they contribute to a highly educated, internationally diverse medical talent pool.

The team in Hoofddorp currently consists of over 50 nationalities. Van Erp notes: “The diversity that this brings is extremely important. Different approaches to creative and analytical thinking all contribute to creating an innovative and dynamic process, which is crucial since cell therapy is truly a team sport. Diversity results in the best solutions.”

Looking towards the future, Van Erp is optimistic.

For this ambition, the Amsterdam Area offers a strong foundation. A key player in Europe’s life sciences and health industry, the region is focused on collaboration between research institutions, medical centres, companies and startups all working to push advance medical innovation.