Advances in Biotech: Bridging Technology and Genetics II
Startup Series: Cell Research and Environment Startup Profiles( 2/4)
In Volume One of this four-part series, we provided an overview of the biotechnology industry and examined disruptive startups in the agricultural and bioengineering sectors. To learn more, please access the content below.
Advances in Biotech: Second Edition
In our second edition, we will examine groundbreaking biotech startups in the fields of cellular research and environmental studies.
Cell Research
It focuses on cellular-level research; Studying cell structure, function, and activity helps explain molecular diseases like cancer, metabolic problems, and neurodegenerative ailments.
Key sub-domains in cellular research
Cell therapy manufacturing
Produces therapeutic cells for medical interventions at scale using efficient and established processes to provide quality, safety, and scalability for clinical usage.
Longevity research
It integrates genetics, biology, and medicine to study the molecular and cellular mechanisms of aging to develop interventions to promote healthy aging and prevent age-related diseases.
Regenerative medicine
Deals with tissue engineering and cell transplantation can cure injuries, degenerative diseases, and congenital anomalies.
Stem cell therapies
Studies stem cells, which can differentiate into many types of cells. Researchers employ stem cells to treat neurological diseases and cardiac problems.
Cell Research Startup Profiles
Cellares
Cellares Corp. operates as an Integrated Development and Manufacturing Organization (IDMO) in the field of cell therapy manufacturing. Utilizing Industry 4.0 principles, they specialize in expediting access to cell therapies through mass manufacturing of living drugs and integrated technologies, designed to satisfy patient requirements.
Sector: Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare
Headquarters: United States
Founded: 2019
Total Funding: $355 million
Latest Funding: $255 million
Latest Series: Series C
Key Offerings:
Cell Shuttle: Enables automated sample collection throughout the entire quality control process for both online and offline solutions.
Integrated Development and Manufacturing Organizations (IDMOs): IDMO Smart Factories use advanced technologies to produce more cell therapy batches annually, featuring standardized hardware, software-defined manufacturing, and high automation for mass customization.
Recent Updates:
November 2023: Partnered with Cabaletta Bio to evaluate automated manufacturing for CABA-201 Cabaletta’s CD19-CAR T Cell therapy on the Cell Shuttle Platform.
October 2023: Announced an expanded agreement with Bristol Myers Squibb to include a second CAR-T program in Cellares’ technology adoption partnership program.
Forge Biologics
Operating in the sub-domain of cell therapy manufacturing, Forge Biologics specializes in developing treatments for rare genetic diseases. The company focuses on creating AAV gene therapies for clients, guiding projects from research through clinical stages and into commercial production.
Sector: Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare
Headquarters: United States
Founded: 2020
Total Funding: $330 million
Latest Funding: $90 million
Latest Series: Series C
Key Offerings:
AAV Manufacturing: Provides manufacturing and development services for gene therapy programs, encompassing research to clinical and commercial manufacturing.
Plasmid DNA Manufacturing: Offers research-grade GMP-Pathway and cGMP plasmid DNA manufacturing solutions, integrated into clients' AAV production.
Recent Updates:
October 2023: Selected as an AAV manufacturing partner for the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
May 2023: Partnered with the Bespoke Gene Therapy Consortium (BGTC) to accelerate the development and manufacturing of AAV gene therapies for rare diseases.
Altos Labs
Altos Labs operates in the sub-domain of longevity research. It is a biotech company focused on studying cellular rejuvenation programming. The company aims to improve cell health and resilience to counteract diseases, injuries, and long-term disabilities. It was founded by a group of scientists, clinicians, and professionals from academia and industry with a shared mission.
Sector: Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare
Headquarters: United States
Founded: 2021
Total Funding: $3 billion
Latest Funding: $3 billion
Latest Series: Not specified
Key Offerings: Cellular rejuvenation programming research, focusing on improving cell health and resilience for long-term diseases, as well as researching reversing disease and anti-aging solutions.
Recent Updates:
June 2022: Announced a sponsored research agreement with Kyoto University's Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA) to foster cellular rejuvenation programming research.
Cellino Biotech
Cellino Biotech operates in the sub-domain of regenerative medicine. The company provides an autologous cell therapy technology platform that integrates machine learning (ML) with laser technology to streamline cell therapy manufacturing, aiming to decrease costs and scalability constraints.
Sector: Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare
Headquarters: United States
Founded: 2017
Total Funding: $100 million
Latest Funding: $80 million
Latest Series: Series A
Key Offerings: Cure, which combines label-free imaging and laser editing with ML to automate cell reprogramming, expansion, and differentiation within a closed cassette design. This technology allows for the simultaneous processing of thousands of patient samples within a single facility.
Recent Updates:
May 2023: Named the winner of the “Scalable Solutions” category of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health’s (“ARPA-H”) inaugural Dash to accelerate health outcomes.
March 2021: Published its first review paper on autologous iPSC-based cell therapies
Acepodia
Acepodia specializes in stem cell-based immunotherapies to fulfill unmet medical needs in solid tumors and hematologic cancers. Utilizing its Antibody-Cell Conjugation (ACC) technology, the company links tumor-targeting antibodies to its proprietary immune cells, such as natural killer (NK) and gamma delta T (γδ2) cells, to develop innovative ACE therapies with enhanced binding strength against tumors
Sector: Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare
Headquarters: United States
Founded: 2017
Total Funding: $289 million
Latest Funding: $100 million
Latest Series: Series D
Key Offerings: Acepodia's products are based on its ACC platform technology, designed to enhance cancer care with targeted potency, improved safety, and broad applicability across cancers. The company's pipeline includes cell therapies that use γδ2 T cells and NK cells to combat cancer.
Recent Updates:
May 2023: Announced the first patient dosed in the Phase 1 Clinical Trial of ACE1831, an anti-CD20 armed allogeneic gamma delta T-cell therapy, for treating non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma.
June 2021: Published preclinical data on novel off-the-shelf natural killer cell therapy ACE1702 for HER2-expressing solid tumors using antibody-cell conjugation technology.
Environment
Incorporates diverse approaches to tackle ecological challenges, including bioremediation, waste-to-energy solutions, plastic alternatives, innovative wastewater treatment, and sustainable biomanufacturing.
Key sub-domains in environment
Biomanufacturing
Involves the use of biological processes to produce materials, chemicals, or fuels. It focuses on using microorganisms and biological systems to replace traditional manufacturing methods, offering greener alternatives and reduced environmental impact.
Bioremediation
Utilizes biological organisms, such as bacteria or plants, to mitigate and clean up environmental pollutants. This approach harnesses the natural capabilities of living organisms to break down or neutralize contaminants, restoring ecosystems impacted by pollutants.
Plastic alternatives
Focuses on developing materials that mimic the functionalities of traditional plastics while being biodegradable or derived from renewable resources. It aims to reduce plastic pollution and promote sustainable practices in packaging and product manufacturing.
Waste-to-energy
Deals with converting various forms of waste, including organic matter and municipal solid waste, into energy. Aims to promote sustainable energy production while offering an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional waste disposal methods.
Wastewater treatment
Focuses on purifying water contaminated with pollutants from industrial, agricultural, or municipal sources. It utilizes technologies such as membrane bioreactors, UV disinfection, and chemical coagulation and flocculation, among others.
Environment Startup Profiles
UBQ Materials
UBQ Materials operates in the sub-domain of plastic alternatives. The company transforms unrecyclable household waste into a sustainable thermoplastic substitute named UBQ. It aims to address environmental challenges by diverting waste from landfills, reducing carbon footprints, and promoting a circular economy.
Headquarters: Israel
Founded: 2021
Total Funding: $240 million
Latest Funding: $70 million
Latest Series: Not specified
Key Offerings: TUBQ, a plastic alternative bio-material made from diverse waste items, including organics like food waste and inorganics like mixed plastics, aimed at reducing plastic pollution.
Recent Updates:
September 2023: Won the Suppliers Partnership ‘Demonstrating Environmental Innovation in the Manufacturing Process Award’ in collaboration with automotive supplier ConMet and specialty compounder Polyram.
September 2023: McDonald’s expanded its collaboration with UBQ Materials to incorporate UBQ into building materials.
Loam Bio
Loam Bio specializes in agricultural solutions to address climate change. It utilizes microbial carbon capture technology, harnessing the power of endophytic fungi to significantly increase and stabilize soil carbon in cropping systems. The company focuses on delivering meaningful climate action through agricultural sustainability.
Sector: Agriculture and Forestry
Headquarters: Australia
Founded: 2019
Total Funding: $103.1 million
Latest Funding: $73 million
Latest Series: Series B
Key Offerings:
CarbonBuilder: Involves coating seeds with a fungal inoculum named CarbonBuilder before sowing to improve long-term soil health.
SecondCrop Carbon Project: A service that supports farmers in implementing carbon farming practices, including registration, administration, land management strategies, and measurement and verification of soil carbon.
WasteFuel
Operating in the sub-domain of waste-to-energy, WasteFuel focuses on transforming waste into sustainable low-carbon fuels like aviation-grade biofuel and green methanol. The company develops technologies to improve low-carbon fuel yield and mitigate emissions associated with fuel.
Sector: Environmental and Waste Management Services
Headquarters: United States
Founded: 2018
Total Funding: $38.7 million
Latest Funding: $10 million
Latest Series: Series B
Key Offerings:
WasteFuel Methanol Module: Produces fuel-grade methanol from various waste sources, including landfill gas and biogas, using anaerobic digestion.
WasteFuel Marine: A renewable fuel solution for the shipping sector.
Recent Updates:
June 2023: Signed an MoU with BP to improve bio-methanol production efficiency, yields, and economics.
November 2022: Announced a partnership with waste management company Averda to develop a commercial-scale municipal waste-to-renewable methanol plant.
Purrafinity
Puraffinity is a green technology company specializing in developing materials for environmental applications. Its focus is on creating a customized technology platform designed to remove highly challenging pollutants from contaminated water and wastewater.
Sector: Chemicals
Headquarters: United Kingdom
Founded: 2015
Total Funding: $17.5 million
Latest Funding: $13.9 million
Latest Series: Series A
Key Offerings: PFAS treatment platform, which facilitates surface modification of various substrates with tailored PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) friendly molecular groups, producing adsorbent materials to treat water pollution.
Recent Updates:
September 2023: Raised $13.9 million in Series A funding led by Octopus Ventures, aiming to commercialize and scale its water treatment solutions.
In our next edition, we will investigate startups that are shaking up the Food and Beverage and Genomic Research areas in the Biotech space.