Autolus (AUTL) Surges 7.53% in Pre-Market Trading on Partnership With Cellares Corp to Evaluate Platform for New Indications Expansion

Autolus Therapeutics (AUTL) surged 7.5269% in pre-market trading on January 7, 2026, driven by news of its partnership with Cellares Corp to evaluate the latter’s automated manufacturing platform for potential expansion into new indications.

The biopharmaceutical company announced plans to assess Cellares’ Cell Shuttle system, a fully automated, high-throughput platform designed to process up to 16 patient batches simultaneously. This move aims to address anticipated demand for its CD19 CAR T-cell therapy, AUCATZYL (obe-cel), which is approved for relapsed or refractory B-cell leukemia and under investigation for autoimmune diseases.

Cellares’ technology, which integrates closed-system manufacturing and automated quality control, promises to reduce costs, improve batch consistency, and scale production tenfold compared to traditional facilities.

Autolus CEO Christian Itin highlighted the platform’s potential to enable a capital-efficient expansion of manufacturing capacity, should clinical trials for expanded indications—such as pediatric leukemia and lupus—prove successful. Cellares’ CEO Fabian Gerlinghaus emphasized the system’s role in globalizing access to CAR T therapies by lowering production barriers. The collaboration aligns with Autolus’ strategy to commercialize its pipeline amid growing competition in the cell therapy sector.

Analysts suggest that this partnership could significantly accelerate the company’s ability to meet market demand for cell therapy treatments. While the cost-reduction and scaling benefits are promising, the success of the expanded indications is still pending clinical data. Investors are advised to monitor upcoming trial results and regulatory developments in the coming months to gauge the long-term viability of the Cell Shuttle system in Autolus’ operations.