How is Miltenyi Biotec adapting its long-term strategy to meet the specific scientific and clinical demands of ASEAN markets?
ASEAN is evolving into a strategic growth engine for global life sciences, and for Miltenyi Biotec, this shift requires both focus and localisation. Our global strategy remains consistent—providing integrated platforms that support the entire value chain from research to clinical translation. What is changing is the depth of our regional engagement. India and ASEAN are no longer viewed as emerging markets alone; they are becoming innovation-driven ecosystems with growing translational and manufacturing capabilities.
In India particularly, the scale of the population and the accelerating investment in biotechnology create a strong case for advanced therapies. Our approach is built on three priorities: strengthening local scientific partnerships, enabling GMP-compliant manufacturing infrastructure, and facilitating technology transfer to support regional production of advanced cell and gene therapies. Its make in India for India. This ensures not only access to cutting-edge solutions but also long-term sustainability, scalability, and alignment with local regulatory frameworks. In short, our strategy is to move from market participation to ecosystem integration—supporting ASEAN’s scientific maturity while expanding patient access to next-generation therapies.
How is Miltenyi Biotec contributing to the growth of India's biotechnology ecosystem?
India is rapidly strengthening its position in biologics and advanced therapies, and at Miltenyi Biotec, we contribute by enabling both research excellence and clinical translation.
On the research side, we bring cutting-edge instruments and reagents directly to the Indian market. We often say we provide the “tools for discovery” — but those tools must constantly evolve to stay ahead of scientific demand. By establishing a direct presence, supported by a trained local team, we are making access faster, more efficient, and more collaborative for Indian researchers and institutions. On the clinical front, India offers a unique advantage: highly qualified medical professionals combined with a large and diverse patient population. This creates a strong foundation for early translational research, proof-of-concept studies, and advanced drug development. Our GMP-compliant platforms and integrated solutions support institutions in accelerating cell and gene therapy programs from bench to bedside.
In essence, we are not just supplying technology — we are strengthening infrastructure, building capabilities, and partnering with leading hospitals and research centres to help position India as a global hub for advanced biologics and translational medicine.
What infrastructure or capability gaps do you see in this region, India, and how is your company helping to bridge them?
India’s biotechnology ecosystem has immense potential, but a few capability gaps remain — particularly in scalable cell therapy infrastructure, automation, and integrated bioinformatics. At Miltenyi Biotec, we are addressing these gaps through technology-driven infrastructure enablement. In advanced cell therapy, traditional processing relies heavily on complex cleanroom environments. We provide automated, closed-system platforms that allow clinicians to extract, modify, and reinfuse patient cells in a standardised and GMP-compliant manner. This significantly reduces operational complexity, lowers contamination risk, and makes cellular therapy programs more scalable and accessible.
Another major opportunity lies in bioinformatics integration. India generates vast amounts of clinical and pathological data. However, structured integration of patient records, genomic profiling, and advanced analytics remains underleveraged. Our analytical platforms and next-generation imaging systems support high-dimensional pathology, spatial biology, and multi-omic analysis — enabling deeper insights into disease pathways and population-specific biology.
In short, the potential in India is strong. Our role is to help translate that potential into robust, technology-enabled systems — supporting automation, advanced analytics, and research infrastructure that can elevate India’s position in global advanced therapeutics.
Is Miltenyi Biotec exploring deeper partnerships, local manufacturing, you say, or technology transfer initiatives within the country?
India’s push for self-reliance in biotechnology strongly aligns with the strategic direction of Miltenyi Biotec. Yes, we are actively exploring deeper partnerships across the ecosystem — including hospitals, manufacturing sites, research institutions, and government bodies. Our objective is not simply market expansion, but long-term anchoring of research, manufacturing, and advanced therapy capabilities within India.
A key focus area is localised manufacturing of advanced cell therapies, including CAR-T. We believe these therapies should be produced as close as possible to the patient. Through modular, scalable manufacturing platforms, production can take place in dedicated facilities, in partnership with industry collaborators, or even within leading hospitals.
We have already established a training centre in Hyderabad to build local expertise and technical capabilities. In parallel, we are expanding our operational footprint and exploring manufacturing setups — both independently and collaboratively. Our approach is clear: enable technology transfer, strengthen local skills, and build sustainable infrastructure. By doing so, we support India’s ambition to become not only self-reliant but a global contributor in advanced biologics and cell and gene therapies.
What initiatives have been placed to support training, knowledge exchange, and skill development for scientists in India and Asia?
Capacity building is central to the long-term success of advanced therapies, and at Miltenyi Biotec, we are investing systematically in training and knowledge transfer across India and the broader Asia-Pacific region. Our first major step was establishing a dedicated training centre in Hyderabad’s Genome Valley. This facility provides structured, hands-on training in advanced cell processing and therapy workflows.
In addition, we are exploring collaborations in Delhi with established institutes to enable practical, on-site training in CAR-T manufacturing. Where we support hospitals in setting up manufacturing capabilities, comprehensive training and full technology transfer are integral components — ensuring local teams can independently and compliantly produce advanced cell therapies.
Beyond India, we see the country as a regional capability hub. The expertise developed here can support neighbouring Asia-Pacific markets such as Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia. Rather than each country building from scratch, India can serve as a centre of excellence — enabling standardised processes, shared best practices, and regional knowledge exchange. Our approach is clear: build local skills, enable self-sufficiency, and create a scalable training ecosystem that supports sustainable growth in advanced therapeutics across Asia.
Looking ahead, what are your key priorities for Asia over the next three to five years? And how central is India to Miltenyi Biotec's regional growth roadmap?
Over the next three to five years, our key priority in Asia is to expand access to transformative, potentially curative therapies while strengthening regional research and manufacturing ecosystems. At Miltenyi Biotec, we are focused on advancing cellular therapies that offer one-time, potentially curative treatments — particularly in oncology and autoimmune diseases. These represent a fundamental shift from chronic treatment models to durable therapeutic solutions.
India is central to our regional growth roadmap. With its large population, expanding biotech capabilities, and strong scientific talent base, India is not only a strategic market but also a future innovation and manufacturing hub. Our objective is twofold: bring our full portfolio of advanced research technologies and curative cell therapies to India, and anchor long-term capabilities locally. We also see India playing a broader Asia-Pacific leadership role — supporting expansion into neighbouring markets through shared expertise, infrastructure, and training. In short, Asia is a growth engine, and India is a cornerstone of that strategy — both as a destination for advanced therapies and as a contributor to global innovation.
Sanjiv Das
