Merck Signs MoU With Cyto-Facto To Advance Cell And Gene Therapy Development And Manufacturing In APAC

• Collaboration aims to support development of a robust lentiviral production platform for gene therapy applications
• Merck’s VirusExpress 293T Lentiviral Production Cells to help enable scalable manufacturin
• Collaboration brings together expertise in Japan and India to accelerate new cell & gene therapy manufacturing in APAC

Merck, a leading science and technology company, has signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Cyto-Facto Inc., a specialist CDMO (Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization) focused on cell and gene therapies.

The collaboration aims to accelerate the development and manufacturing of CGT in Japan, building on Merck’s innovative technologies and global expertise with CytoFacto’s advanced capabilities to bring safe therapies to patients. As part of the collaboration, Merck India will support structured knowledge exchange and customer engagement initiatives to strengthen platform readiness. Merck India will also introduce Cyto-Facto to cell and gene therapy companies in India seeking specialized lentiviral CDMO services.

“By combining process development expertise across Japan and India, Merck is helping strengthen lentiviral manufacturing capabilities in the Asia Pacific region,” said Tony Budianto Bee, Head of Process Solutions APAC and Interim Head of Process Solutions India. “In India, this MoU will also help connect emerging CGT companies move promising therapies forward and support faster access to highquality gene therapies for patients.

Under the MoU, Merck and Cyto-Facto plan to work together to establish a robust production platform utilizing Merck’s VirusExpress™293T Lentiviral Production Cells to support the process development and manufacturing in Good Manufacturing Process (GMP)-compliant environments. The collaboration also includes support for manufacturing scale-up, as well as technical training and process optimization through Merck’s the M Lab Collaboration Centers across APAC, including Tokyo, Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea, India, and China.

“To improve the health of patients in need of CGT therapies, we are committed to the reliable manufacturing of CGT products,” said Yasunori Ishibashi, CEO of CytoFacto. “Through our collaboration with Merck, we aim to contribute to a healthier society by delivering promising CGT therapies for a wide range of diseases in Japan and globally to patients in a timely and reliable manner.”

About Cyto-Facto
Cyto-Facto Inc. provides CDMO (Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization) services specializing in gene and cell therapy products. The company operates manufacturing facilities compliant with PIC/S GMP and CGTP standards and has established an integrated support system covering the entire process from early-stage research and development to commercial manufacturing. Cyto-Facto supports the manufacturing of CGT products both domestically and internationally, handling a wide range of modalities including CAR-T, MSC, and iPSC. For more information, visit https://www.cytofacto.com/

About Merck
Merck, a leading science and technology company, operates across life science, healthcare and electronics. More than 62,000 employees work to make a positive difference to millions of people’s lives every day by creating more joyful and sustainable ways to live. From providing products and services that accelerate drug development and manufacturing as well as discovering unique ways to treat the most challenging diseases to enabling the intelligence of devices – the company is everywhere. In 2025, Merck generated sales of € 21.1B in 65 countries.

Scientific exploration and responsible entrepreneurship have been key to Merck’s technological and scientific advances. This is how Merck has thrived since its founding in 1668. The founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed company. Merck holds the global rights to the Merck name and brand. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the business sectors of Merck operate as MilliporeSigma in life science, EMD Serono in healthcare, and EMD Electronics in electronics.