OrganaBio has acquired substantially all operating assets of San Diego-based Excellos, in a move that instantly reshapes the company into a bicoastal cell therapy contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO). 

 

The deal also establishes a new subsidiary, Excellos Labs, which will oversee continued operations in San Diego.

 

The acquisition combines complementary capabilities across both companies, expanding OrganaBio’s reach in cell therapy manufacturing, PBMC isolation, cryopreservation, and starting material sourcing—while significantly strengthening geographic redundancy across the US.

 

OrganaBio’s platform now spans multiple facilities nationwide. Its Miami headquarters anchors East Coast operations, including adult leukapheresis through its HemaCenter subsidiary, birth tissue and cord blood sourcing via GaiaGift, ISO 7 cGMP cleanrooms, process development, QC and analytical testing, PBMC isolation, and cryopreservation.

 

On the West Coast, the company already operates cell processing and cryopreservation labs in San Francisco and Irvine, and now adds Excellos’ purpose-built San Diego facility. The site includes five ISO 7 cGMP cleanroom suites supporting autologous and allogeneic cell therapy manufacturing, cell isolation and enrichment, expansion, and fill/finish. Key Excellos personnel have been retained to ensure continuity for existing programs.

 

The combined organization positions itself as a more resilient supply chain partner for cell therapy developers, addressing long-standing industry challenges around PBMC isolation and cryopreservation. Reliance on single-source providers has created bottlenecks and risk, while splitting vendors can introduce variability in quality and execution. 

 

OrganaBio says its integrated model eliminates these trade-offs by offering a single quality system across a bicoastal network.

 

Customers now include many of the top 20 global pharmaceutical companies as well as a broad base of biotech developers. Programs supported across the platform span oncology and autoimmune diseases, covering both autologous and allogeneic cell therapies in clinical and commercial stages.

 

"Cell therapy developers and the patients waiting on their programs need a manufacturing partner that can match the pace and quality of their work. Combining OrganaBio’s and Excellos’ infrastructure and teams lets us do that more reliably than either company could alone," said Justin Irizarry, CEO of OrganaBio. 

 

"Our priority in the coming months is operational continuity for every customer of both companies, with broader capabilities layered in as integration progresses."

 

"This acquisition is the best of both worlds, ensuring continuity for Excellos' customers as we move into our next phase while adding critical redundancy, expanded geographical reach, and access to additional services and material including cord blood," said Tom VanCott, CEO of Excellos.

 

Both companies will continue operating independently in the near term, with full integration expected by next year.