As cell and gene therapies move closer to broader commercialization, the pressure on the supply chain is changing in fundamental ways. What used to be handled as a supporting logistics function now sits much closer to the therapy itself where timing, temperature control, and coordination can determine whether a treatment succeeds or fails.

Cryoport Systems has been building toward that reality, expanding beyond cryogenic shipping to deliver a more integrated supply chain model that connects cryopreservation, biostorage, kit production and logistics. A key component of that strategy is IntegriCell®, a cryopreservation service designed to give sponsors more control earlier in the workflow and reduce downstream risk.

Contract Pharma spoke with Matthew Plaud, COO of IntegriCell within Cryoport Systems, about what’s changing in the market and why more companies are rethinking how their advanced therapy supply chains are designed and managed.

Contract Pharma: Cryoport Systems has evolved from a cryogenic shipping provider into a broader supply chain platform. How would you describe the company today and how that evolution has changed your role as COO of IntegriCell?

Matthew Plaud: The Cryoport Systems of today is a fully integrated supply chain platform for advanced therapies, designed to support sponsors across the entire product lifecycle, from clinical development through commercialization. A key part of that evolution has been the recognition that logistics alone aren’t enough. Sponsors need tightly connected services that link cryopreservation, biostorage, and logistics without friction.

That’s where IntegriCell plays a critical role. As COO of IntegriCell, my focus is ensuring that cryopreservation services, including cell processing, handling, and operational execution, are fully embedded into the broader Cryoport Systems platform. My role has expanded from optimizing standalone operations to coordinating how everything functions cohesively in a single system. The goal is to eliminate gaps and enable scalable growth by ensuring cryopreservation is not operated in isolation, but as a fully integrated component of our end-to-end solution.

CP: A significant portion of your recent growth has been tied to cell and gene therapy programs and, Matt, you’ve spent a lot of time in this space.  What are the biggest operational differences in supporting these therapies compared to traditional biologics or small molecules?

Matt: It’s a far more intense environment operationally.  In traditional pharma, you usually have some buffer with inventory and time. The defining difference is that with cell and gene therapies, you’re managing time-sensitive and patient-specific materials through complex manufacturing workflows. Timelines are tighter and temperature tolerances are narrower. There’s no safety stock in cell and gene therapy and you have one chance to get it right. Quite often, you’re dealing with material from a single patient and the margin for error is essentially zero. I usually compare it to the airline industry because you just don’t get to make mistakes at this level.

And unlike traditional biologics, you’re often coordinating inbound and outbound material movements in real time, across multiple stakeholders, with strict chain-of-identity and chain-of-custody requirements.  Supporting these therapies demands infrastructure, deeply trained teams, validated processes, and continuous visibility across the supply chain.

“There’s no safety stock in cell and gene therapies.  You have one chance to get it right.” —Matthew Plaud, Cryoport Systems

CP: As more cell and gene therapies move into commercialization, how do supply chain requirements change and where are sponsors most underestimating the complexity?

Matt: Commercialization shifts the focus from feasibility to repeatability and scale. What works for a limited number of clinical shipments must now perform consistently across potentially thousands of patient journeys.  One thing we see frequently is that sponsors will underestimate the complexity that sits in that “unseen” area between inbound material receipt and outbound shipment. There’s a lot of hidden risks there that can introduce variability.

That’s one of the reasons we built out IntegriCell. If you can cryopreserve earlier, you’re “freezing the material in time.”  It adds value by bringing standardization and scalability while allowing for more flexible manufacturing windows. Your critical window expands to days instead of hours, and the entire process becomes easier to both scale and standardize. The supply chain is equipped for sustained commercial volume.

CP: Integration seems to be a recurring theme. In your mind, what’s driving sponsor demand for a more unified supply chain partner versus point solutions?

Matt: It really comes down to reducing friction. Sponsors are realizing that a fragmented supply chain with multiple vendor handoffs creates risk. When logistics, storage, and cryopreservation are managed by separate vendors, small disconnects can lead to major failures and overall accountability becomes diluted.

A unified supply chain provides continuity and a true “partnership” mindset managed within a single vendor relationship. It allows data to flow across touchpoints, enables faster decision‑making, and reduces handoff risk. For advanced therapies, where every step matters, sponsors are increasingly prioritizing partners who can take a holistic view of the supply chain rather than optimizing one piece in isolation.

CP: When you think about risks like temperature excursions or custody gaps, those can really derail a program. What are sponsors telling you they want now in terms of visibility and control across the supply chain, and how is Cryoport Systems addressing that?

Matt: Our customer expectations have shifted from reactive reporting to real‑time intelligence. Sponsors now want to know not just where a shipment is, but its condition, its projected arrival, and any emerging risks before those risks turn into failures.

We’ve invested heavily in the systems that support that level of insight, so continuous monitoring and controls that provide end-to-end visibility. That includes continuous temperature monitoring, proactive exception management, and integrated platforms that connect logistics with storage and operational data. The goal is predictability, and this level of visibility means sponsors can make more informed decisions and intervene early if necessary.

CP: How do some of the recent strategic decisions at Cryoport Systems tie into where you see the market heading?

Matt: Our strategic decisions reflect a disciplined focus on where we can create the most value for our customers.  As the advanced therapy landscape matures, it’s increasingly important to allocate capital and resources toward platforms that scale and align closely with customer and market needs.

By sharpening our focus, we’re doubling down on areas where Cryoport Systems has deep expertise, so advanced therapy logistics, IntegriCell, biostorage, and integrated supply chain services and facility build-outs worldwide that handle the entire platform under one roof.  This positions us to move at a global pace and serve as a long‑term partner as therapies transition into full commercialization.

CP: With that mention of a global pace and with ongoing geopolitical and supply chain pressures, are you seeing sponsors shift toward more regional or localized supply chain strategies—or is global still the default for advanced therapies?

Matt: We’re seeing a hybrid approach emerge. Advanced therapies are now inherently global as patients, clinical sites, and manufacturing capabilities are often distributed across regions. That said, sponsors are becoming much more intentional about regional redundancy and localized infrastructure.

Rather than choosing between global or local, many are designing networks that combine centralized expertise with regional execution. At Cryoport Systems we describe offering a “global reach with a local presence”, so the ability to support both models while maintaining consistent standards and visibility is becoming a key differentiator for us.

CP: Matt, where do you think the industry is still unprepared?

Matt: One area that stands out is apheresis capacity. Right now, a lot of that capability is concentrated in major metro areas, especially around large cancer centers. As demand grows, that’s going to create bottlenecks and limit access to community-based treatments without some major pivots to defined industry norms.

There’s a need to expand that into more local and regional settings, to both alleviate capacity constraints and also to make these therapies more accessible to more patients in more areas.

CP: What are the biggest supply chain challenges that will define the next 3–5 years in the advanced therapies and where is Cryoport Systems investing to stay ahead of them?

Matt: The next several years will be defined by scale and standardization alongside operational resilience. As more therapies gain approval, the industry will need supply chains that can handle volume without sacrificing precision.

We’re investing in the infrastructure and the talent to support that transition. That includes expanding our Global Supply Chain Centers, those facilities that have all of our services under one roof. We launched a GSCC in Paris, France, last year and this year we’ll be opening another in Southern California, USA.  These facilities, alongside enhancing data integration across services, and continuing to build teams with deep advanced therapy expertise.

Ultimately, our focus is on helping sponsors move confidently from early-stage innovation to commercial impact, ensuring that lifechanging therapies reach patients safely and reliably.