Enabling Mesenchymal Stromal Cells and Their Extracellular Vesicles Clinical Availability—A Technological and Economical Evaluation

Abstract

Mesenchymal stromal cell-derived extracellular vesicles (MSC-EVs) have shown significant therapeutic potential across a wide range of clinical conditions, complementing the progress of MSC-based therapies, some of which have already received regulatory approval. However, the high cost of these therapies has limited their accessibility, creating an urgent need to explore manufacturing strategies that reduce the cost of goods and selling prices. This study presents the design and simulation of a scalable manufacturing platform for the co-production of clinical-grade MSC and MSC-EVs using SuperPro Designer. Various production scenarios were evaluated to maximise manufacturing capacity while analysing their impact on economic performance. Our findings demonstrate that for MSC-EVs doses containing 10¹⁰ and 10¹¹ particles, selling prices range from 166 to 309€ and from 1659 to 3082€, respectively. For clinical doses of MSC, selling prices vary between 965 and 42,673€ depending on dose size and production scale. Importantly, the co-production approach enables cost-sharing between products, contributing to significantly lower prices compared to individual production. Overall, the proposed platform achieved an attractive payback time of 3 years and a return on investment of 36%. By increasing the number of staggered production units, further price reductions and improved economic metrics could be attained. In conclusion, this study highlights the potential of the proposed manufacturing platform to deliver cost-effective, clinical-grade MSC and MSC-EVs products, advancing the field of regenerative medicine and enhancing the accessibility of these innovative treatments.