Over the last decade we have advanced disruptive ventures developing disease-modifying cellular medicines, several of which are now in clinical development. Correcting an underlying deficit within a cell or tissue can halt degeneration and potentially reverse the course of disease. More recently we have branched out to correct other kinds of deficits.

Status: Clinical | Partner: Bayer

Opsis Therapeutics pioneered the manufacturing of off-the-shelf, iPSC-derived retinal cells to treat late-stage inherited blindness. Following a strategic R&D alliance with BlueRock Therapeutics (Bayer AG) valued at over $70 million in initial commitments, Opsis advanced its lead program (OpCT-001) into the clinic. OpCT-001 creates a new paradigm for retinal repair by replacing lost photoreceptors. It has received FDA Fast Track designation and is currently dosing patients in the CLARICO trial (NCT06789445).

Status: Clinical | Partner: TCG

Kenai Therapeutics Kenai Therapeutics is revolutionizing the treatment of Parkinson’s disease through regenerative medicine. Backed by an $82 million Series A financing co-led by The Column Group, Kenai is advancing an allogeneic dopamine progenitor therapy (RNDP-001). The company has dosed the first patient in the Phase 1 REPLACE™ trial (NCT07106021), and received FDA Fast Track designation. RNDP-001 is designed to re-innervate the brain and restore motor function.

Status: Clinical | Partner: Novartis

Papillon Therapeutics is developing multi-systemic genetic medicines using engineered hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) to treat inherited diseases. The company’s platform modifies the body’s own immune cells to deliver therapeutic proteins to hard-to-reach organs like the brain and heart. Papillon’s Cystinosis program is partnered with Novartis (Phase 1/2), and its internal lead for Friedreich’s Ataxia (PPL-001) has received FDA Orphan Drug and Rare Pediatric Disease designations.

Status: Preclinical | Partner: BIVF

ProTgen is developing first-in-class medicines for immuno-oncology and immune health by re-activating the thymus. The company’s proprietary bi-functional Notch activators drive the differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells into progenitor T-cells (pro-T). This therapy aims to restore the immune repertoire in oncology patients undergoing bone marrow transplant and reverse the immunosenescence associated with aging.

Status: Preclinical | Partner: USC

StemCardia is developing therapies to reverse heart failure, the leading cause of death worldwide. In collaboration with the University of Southern California (USC), StemCardia lead candidate (SCM-101) is a potentially curative therapy composed of billions of iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes produced in scalable 3D bioreactors. These cells to re-muscularize the heart and restore pumping function in primate models.

Status: Preclinical | Partner: FFB RD Fund

Agnos Therapeutics is advancing a next-generation retinal replenishment therapy to treat intermediate stage inherited blindness. The company’s lead candidate (AGN-001) is designed to rescue dying photoreceptors by transferring healthy cytoplasm and organelles from donor cells. With the support of Foundation Fighting Blindness (FFB) Retinal Degeneration Fund, this mutation-agnostic approach offers the potential of a rapidly acting treatment for the millions of patients.

Status: Preclinical | Partner: Reboot

Vascugen is a company focused on advancing the pipeline of cell replacement therapies targeting microvascular diseases. Leveraging innovations in induced pluripotent cell (iPSC) generation and vascular cell differentiation, Vascugen is developing cell therapies for patients with severe ischemic conditions of the limb, lung, and retina.

Status: Preclinical | Partner: Reboot

Dianomi Therapeutics was a preclinical stage biopharmaceutical company advancing a pipeline of next generation treatments for inflammatory diseases, initially targeting osteoarthritis. The company’s proprietary Mineral Coated Microparticle (MCM) technology enables formulation of proven drugs for improved delivery, stability, and function.

Status: Commercial | Partner: St.Jude

RPRD Diagnostics (Right Patient Right Drug) is a precision medicine company offering clinical pharmacogenomics (PGx) testing and analysis services. The company specializes in comprehensive PGx and tailored panels, such as the CNT Panel for identification of leukemia patients at risk for toxicity from thiopurine drugs. These tests enable physicians to consider a patient’s unique genetic profile when recommending drug treatment.

Status: Seed | Partner: Nvidia Inception

CapyBio is building the "GPS" for cell engineering to supply pure, scalable human cells for drug discovery and safety testing. By combining proprietary AI/ML tools (CellOracle and Capybara) with high-throughput biology, CapyBio dramatically improves the manufacturing and maintenance complex cell types like adipocytes and hepatocytes, addressing the critical failure rate of animal models in drug development.

Status: Seed | Partner: Nvidia Inception

pr1or.art is an AI-powered strategic defense platform for the intellectual property (IP) landscape. By using Generative AI (AWS Bedrock) to create and publish technical disclosures ("prior art") at scale, the platform preemptively blocks competitors from filing broad, obstructive patents. It offers an asymmetric economic advantage, delivering Freedom to Operate (FTO) support for <$100 per asset.

Status: Seed | Partner: Microsoft AI Co-Innovation

ThoughtFence is the digital picket fence for the creator economy. Built on secure Azure PaaS infrastructure, it provides a verifiable, timestamped workspace for innovators. With integrated "Agentic Novelty" AI, ThoughtFence helps creators structure their ideas into defensible assets, ensuring that ownership is clear and indisputable from the moment of inception.