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Thermo Fisher (TMO) Partners With ArsenalBio for Cancer R&D

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Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO - Free Report) recently announced a strategic collaboration with the privately held, programmable cell-therapy company, Arsenal Biosciences, Inc (ArsenalBio). The collaboration will focus on furthering the development of manufacturing processes for new cancer treatments.

The combined expertise of both the companies will assist ArsenalBio in clinical research and process development capabilities and explore future therapeutic innovation.

Significance

Thermo Fisher’s ongoing partnership with ArsenalBio started in 2020, to help the latter overcome challenges related to cell-therapy manufacturing. The latest R&D-focused collaboration will enable ArsenalBio to develop a robust manufacturing process for its next-generation, programmable autologous T cells for the treatment of cancer.

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The Cell Therapy Systems (“CTS”) product line of Thermo Fisher is a comprehensive portfolio of cGMP-manufactured products designed to meet applicable cell therapy standards. In addition, it offers traceability and regulatory documentation to help customers transition from research to clinical production.

The CTS portfolio, comprising the Gibco CTS Xenon Electroporation System and Gibco CTS Rotea Counterflow Centrifugation System, has assisted ArsenalBio in developing multi-functional CAR-T cell therapies.

Per a representative at Thermo Fisher, through the company’s Cell Therapy Collaboration Program, customers can leverage biological and technical expertise to improve the economics of therapy production and broaden access to patients worldwide.

Industry Prospects

Per a Research report, the global cell therapy market was valued at $21.6 billion in 2022 and is expected to witness a CAGR of 14.15% by 2030.

The rise in funding for cell therapy clinical studies, the adoption of useful guidelines for cell therapy manufacturing, and the success of novel products are some of the major factors influencing growth in the number of companies in the market.

Recent Developments

Earlier this week, Thermo Fisher launched a cGMP manufacturing facility at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center’s Mission Bay campus. The center will be used to accelerate the development and manufacturing of cell-based therapies for complex and rare diseases, including cancer.

In March, Thermo Fisher Scientific introduced the Thermo Scientific iCAP RQplus ICP-MS Analyzer. It is a new trace elemental analyzer that simplifies everyday analyses in environmental, food, pharmaceutical and industrial testing laboratories.

Price Performance

In the past six months, Thermo Fisher Scientific has mostly underperformed its industry. TMO shares have increased 9.5% compared with the industry’s rise of 14.8%.

Zacks Rank and Other Key Picks

Thermo Fisher currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Some other top-ranked stocks in the overall healthcare sector are Haemonetics Corporation (HAE - Free Report) , Catalyst Pharmaceuticals (CPRX - Free Report) and Avanos Medical (AVNS - Free Report) . Haemonetics and Catalyst Pharmaceuticals each sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), while Avanos Medical has a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Haemonetics’ stock has risen 25.8% in the past year. Earnings estimates for Haemonetics have remained constant at $2.94 in 2023 and $3.29 in 2024 in the past 30 days.

HAE’s earnings beat estimates in all the last four quarters, delivering an average surprise of 10.98%. In the last reported quarter, it reported an earnings surprise of 7.59%.

Estimates for Catalyst Pharmaceuticals’ 2023 earnings have increased from $1.17 to $1.42 in the past 30 days. Shares of the company have increased 101.7% in the past year.

CPRX’s earnings beat estimates in three quarters while beating the same in one, the average surprise being 3.35%. In the last reported quarter, Catalyst Pharmaceuticals delivered an earnings surprise of 4.76%

Estimates for Avanos Medical’s 2023 earnings have remained constant at $1.68 in the past 30 days. Shares of the company have declined 15.6% in the past year compared with the industry’s fall of 17.3%.

AVNS’ earnings beat estimates in all the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 11.01%. In the last reported quarter, Avanos Medical delivered an earnings surprise of 25%.

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