Cellino, a biotech startup founded in 2017, is making waves in the field of personalized cell treatments for patients with degenerative diseases. CEO and cofounder Nabiha Saklayen, along with her team, has developed a technology called Nebula that aims to reduce manufacturing costs for induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) by at least 10 times.
The company recently received a $25 million grant from the federal government's Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), in addition to $96 million in venture capital funding from firms like Leaps by Bayer, the Engine Ventures, and Khosla Ventures. With this funding, Cellino plans to further develop its self-contained units called cassettes, which can grow personalized cell treatments for patients on site at hospitals.
Saklayen, a physicist by training, leads a multidisciplinary team at Cellino that has developed an automated system for growing iPSCs. This system utilizes computer vision to monitor cell growth and lasers to destroy unhealthy cells or prevent them from growing too closely together. The company's approach has been praised by experts like Susan Hockfield, former president of MIT, who commends Cellino for industrializing the production of cells rather than relying on manual labor-intensive methods.
Investors like Alex Morgan, partner at Khosla Ventures, highlight the unique advantage Cellino has in the biotech industry due to its innovative technology and talented team. With a long-term vision to deploy its manufacturing technology on a larger scale, Cellino aims to make personalized iPSCs accessible to patients everywhere, revolutionizing the way degenerative diseases are treated.
Overall, Cellino's groundbreaking work in automated cell growth and personalized treatments has the potential to significantly impact the future of healthcare and bring hope to patients suffering from conditions like Parkinson's disease and Type 1 diabetes.