CAMBRIDGE, Mass.– Satellite Bio emerged from stealth today to reveal first-in-kind Tissue Therapeutics, bioengineered tissues that repair, restore or replace critical organ or tissue function.
Satellite Bio has raised $110 million in previously undisclosed Seed and Series A investments. The Series A round was led by aMoon Growth, and included prior seed stage co-lead Lightspeed, aMoon Velocity, Polaris Partners and Polaris Innovation Fund. New Series A investors included Section 32, Catalio Capital Management and Waterman Ventures.
Through the exclusive Satellite Adaptive Tissue (SAT) platform, Satellite Bio selectively programs cells and then assembles them into novel, implantable therapies, called Satellites, which can be introduced to patients to repair, restore or even replace dysfunctional or diseased tissue or organs. Satellites enable full cell function in vivo, overcoming many of the challenges that have hindered prior attempts to restore organ function and change the course of progressive and difficult-to-treat diseases.
“Tissue Therapeutics replaces organ and tissue systems that break down during disease progression. This next frontier of regenerative medicine has enormous potential to provide solutions for some of the most elusive diseases,” said Dave Lennon, PhD, chief executive officer of Satellite Bio. “Our SAT platform can be used with virtually any type of cell across a wide range of clinical applications, enabling the potential to create a broad pipeline of implantable Tissue Therapeutic solutions for patients.”
Satellite Bio has an exclusive license to technology originating in the labs of Sangeeta Bhatia, MD, PhD, director, Center for Nanomedicine, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Christopher Chen, MD, PhD, director, Biological Design Center, Boston University. Building on the work of Dr. Robert Langer and others, they combined more than two decades of collaborative research in tissue technology, biology and bioengineering to create this new class of regenerative medicine called Tissue Therapeutics. The company was founded by Bhatia and Chen, along with Arnav Chhabra, PhD, head, Satellite Bio Platform R&D in Cambridge, MA, in 2020.
Satellite Bio is led by Dave Lennon, PhD, CEO, who most recently served as president of AveXis and Novartis Gene Therapies, where he launched the groundbreaking regenerative medicine Zolgensma®, a gene therapy for spinal muscular atrophy. Satellite Bio is also announcing the appointments of Laura Lande-Diner, PhD, chief business officer and Tom Lowery, PhD, chief technology officer to the executive team. Joining Dave and the Satellite Bio team is an experienced and diverse group of advisors and directors.
“aMoon is proud of our continued partnership with Satellite Bio on its inspiring mission to restore hope to patients suffering from severe, life-threatening conditions,” said Dr. Yair Schindel, co-founder and managing partner, aMoon Fund. “This new wave of Tissue Therapeutics will save patients whose only other hope would be organ transplant or experimental therapies.”
