Aseptic tubing connection / sterile tube welding for closed cell therapy processing

Autologous CAR-T manufacturing is built around a closed, single-use flow path in which patient cells move between apheresis bags, culture bags, bioreactors and reagent vessels only through validated sterile connections. Today operators manually create these connections by sterile tube welding or seating single-use/multi-use aseptic connectors onto flexible thermoplastic tubing, then sealing tubes to disconnect spent bags. Each connection requires gripping the soft, slightly variable-diameter tubing, aligning it precisely into a weld head or connector, and modulating clamp force so the tube is fully engaged but not crushed or kinked. The task is highly repeated (a single batch involves many transfers, and tubing shortens with each weld), error-prone, and one of the few open or semi-open steps regulators scrutinize. It is hard for a robot because success depends on feeling correct seating and leak-tight engagement on a compliant part, not on vision. BMS runs this process across multiple commercial cell therapy sites and is actively automating CTF manufacturing. We identified this through our own research; we have not confirmed the specifics with the customer directly. This page is our researched read — a starting point for that conversation.