CPC Biotech, Multiply Labs Develop Robot-Ready Cell Therapy Connector

CPC Biotech, a maker of connectors, pumps, and flow sensors for biopharmaceutical processing and part of PSG, an operating company of Dover, announced on May 27, 2026 that it is collaborating with Multiply Labs to develop what the companies describe as an aseptic connector designed for robotic operation, according to a PR Newswire release.

Multiply Labs, based in San Francisco, builds robotic systems intended for cell and gene therapy manufacturing. According to PR Newswire, the company's platform is designed as a self-contained sterile processing system in which human operators do not enter the workspace.

What the connector is designed to solve

PR Newswire reported that robotic grippers have difficulty manipulating soft materials such as bags and flexible tubing, but can more reliably handle rigid parts. CPC Biotech said its new connector combines its MicroCNX Nano Series aseptic connectors with a proprietary interface engineered for robotic grippers, according to the release. The stated purpose is to give a robotic gripper a consistent, repeatable point of contact at the end of tubing during aseptic fluid transfers.

Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News covered a separate but related development in the field: it reported that Cellular Origins and Fresenius Kabi completed the first phase of an automation collaboration integrating Fresenius Kabi's Cue Cell Processing System with Cellular Origins' Constellation robotic platform, following an agreement signed October 16, 2024. That report illustrates continued industry activity around closed, robotic cell therapy processing but is a separate collaboration from the CPC Biotech and Multiply Labs work.

Industry context on demand and manufacturing constraints

BioPharm International reported in a July 2023 article that commercial production of cell therapies was then under 5,000 doses per year, while global demand was described as in the millions of doses, citing Multiply Labs chief business officer Jason Arcediano. The same article reported Arcediano's statement that attrition among skilled manufacturing teams could exceed 25% due to high demand for trained operators.

The BioPharm International article also included a statement, attributed to Thermo Fisher's Betty Woo, that cell therapy manufacturing may involve upwards of 40 process steps. That figure is Woo's characterization as reported by BioPharm International in 2023 and has not been independently verified here. The article additionally noted that optimal workflows for cell and gene therapy remain under development and are not yet standardized industrywide, a factor that has led some manufacturers to prioritize flexible instrumentation.

A 2019 review published in Biotechnology Letters, available via PubMed Central, described longstanding manufacturing challenges in cell and gene therapy, including batch-to-batch variability tied to patient-specific starting material, the difficulty of scaling small-batch processes, and tension between sterile closed operations and the need for flexible process design.

MarketScale analysis: what this means for procurement

MarketScale analysis: Robot-compatible aseptic connectors introduce a new evaluation category for manufacturing teams designing automated cell therapy lines. Because closed, no-human-entry systems require components that a robot can grip and verify reliably, teams weighing this equipment may want to ask suppliers for documented repeatability data under robotic manipulation, and how many tubing and connector variants a given platform can support as workflows and product lines expand. These are engineering and procurement questions raised by the design approach described in the PR Newswire release, not conclusions independently verified by MarketScale.

No pricing, availability, or regulatory clearance timeline for the CPC Biotech and Multiply Labs connector was disclosed in the companies' announcement.