Rubius Therapeutics Inc.

THE STORY: Cambridge, Mass.-based Rubius Therapeutics Inc. was founded in 2013 with the aim to transform cancer treatments and autoimmune diseases through new cellular medicines. In 2018, Rubius purchased a 135,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Smithfield to produce red cell therapeutics. The company planned to invest up to $155 million over five years and expected to hire 150 employees at the facility.


› Red cell therapeutics are allogeneic cellular therapies for the potential treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases. Product candidates are currently being evaluated in clinical trials for the treatment of solid tumors, acute myeloid leukemia and cancers caused by a strain of the human papilloma virus, including cervical cancer, anal cancer, and head and neck cancer.

› The first engineering runs of the red cell therapeutics were completed in late 2019. Billions of cells per dose are made annually.

› Rubius Therapeutics CEO and President Dr. Pablo J. Cagnoni said the company earlier this year presented preliminary clinical results that provided initial validation of its proprietary cell therapy platform for the treatment of cancer. “We are extremely excited about the potential of using engineered red blood cells to treat disease,” he said.

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› The therapeutics are genetically engineered red blood cells that express combinations of molecules on the cell surface. The entire process for each batch takes approximately three weeks to make.

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