CAMBRIDGE, Mass.– Cellino Biotech, Inc. today announced that the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has awarded it up to $25 million in funding to develop an ultra-scalable, autonomous, cassette-based advanced biomanufacturing technology for personalized regenerative medicines. Cellino’s NEBULA (NExt-generation Biomanufacturing ULtra-scalable Approach) project is the first project funded by the Scalable Solutions Mission Office under the ARPA-H Open Broad Agency Announcement.
With ARPA-H’s support, Cellino will build a cassette-based biomanufacturing technology capable of scaling the production of personalized regenerative cells (induced pluripotent stem cells) at hospitals nationwide to develop curative medicines for a range of chronic conditions for an increasingly diverse and aging U.S. patient population. Personalized cells and tissues minimize immune-related complications and improve health equity by obviating the need for a donor match. NEBULA intends to accelerate the approval and deployment of regenerative medicines in development today for diseases such as Parkinson’s, heart disease, spinal cord injury, age-related macular degeneration, and diabetes, which affect more than 50 million Americans.
“At Cellino, we are actively building the industry-leading AI-driven biomanufacturing technology that personalizes cells, tissues, and organs for all, revolutionizing the treatment landscape for humanity’s most burdensome diseases,” said Nabiha Saklayen, Ph.D., CEO & Co-Founder of Cellino. “This support from ARPA-H will enable us to accelerate our innovation pace to bring potentially curative cell therapies to patients across the nation and beyond.”
“We’re thrilled to announce this recent support from ARPA-H. This funding empowers us to unlock the potential of regenerative medicine by harnessing cutting-edge advancements in physics, cell therapy technologies, and artificial intelligence,” said Matthias Wagner, CTO & Co-Founder of Cellino. “Our approach is poised to significantly advance the scalability of high-precision biomanufacturing and make ‘Your cells, your cure’ a reality for millions of patients.”
“Advancements in biomanufacturing, artificial intelligence, and supply chain logistics are all critical pieces to provide cutting-edge therapeutics to people across the country,” said Jason Roos, Ph.D., ARPA-H Scalable Solutions Mission Office Director. “Enhancing affordability and broader access to essential medications is as challenging as developing those novel therapies. ARPA-H is committed to ensuring we can scale manufacturing right alongside other regenerative health innovations.”
Cellino’s proprietary biomanufacturing technology automates traditionally manual, artisanal processes using an AI-guided, laser-based cell management process to reduce variability and increase the consistency of biomanufactured cell and tissue products. Cellino’s proprietary optical bioprocess will drive a meaningful cost reduction for personalized regenerative medicine biomanufacturing using patient-specific closed cassettes. This effort aligns with ARPA-H’s mission to improve health outcomes for everyone.
