Happy Cell Factory Lab: Launch at ISCT

Harro Höfliger will present the Happy Cell Factory Lab (HCF Lab) for the first time at ISCT 2026 at booth #1810. The system is designed for the early development phases of cell and gene therapies and supports automated, controlled process development at laboratory scale under production‑representative conditions.

Compact expansion unit

Designed as a single-room expansion unit, the HCF Lab processes one bioreactor at a time. It is suitable for key process steps in the manufacturing of cell and gene therapies, including activation, transduction, and expansion. At the same time, targeted manual interventions are possible, enabling processes to be observed, adapted, and gradually stabilized – an important prerequisite for subsequent automation and scale‑up.

A central feature of the HCF Lab is its constant process environment. The interior replicates the conditions of larger production systems. Temperature and the CO₂ supply of the bioreactor are clearly defined and continuously monitored.

Entry point into the modular Happy Cell Factory platform

As part of the modular Happy Cell Factory platform, the HCF Lab represents the entry point into a scalable manufacturing concept. The platform was developed by Harro Höfliger in collaboration with the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology (IPT) and follows a systematic approach to automating previously manual manufacturing processes. It combines industrial automation, biological process expertise, and a holistic end‑to‑end view of production – with capacities of up to 10,000 batches per year.