For billions of people, cell and gene therapies offer the possibility of curing incurable diseases, but access to these life saving treatments feels out of reach as large scale manufacturing remains one of the biggest bottlenecks in producing these game changing solutions. These therapies can cost as much as $3.5M per patient and 30% of clinical trials are being terminated, not because of efficacy but because of cell manufacturing limits. Kolibri is reimagining the way mammalian cells are grown to unlock the industrial potential of these treatments. Unlike traditional methods, they use acoustic waves to move cells around in a gentle manner which provides a low shear optimal environment for cells to thrive in as it is actually much closer to the environment found in our bodies. Their patented bioreactors show a 10x increase in yield while lowering production cost by as much as 50 times, therefore unlocking patient access to these much needed treatments. By using sound, Kolibri has the potential to both increase the industry’s market size and the number of people who have access to these much needed treatments.

Discovery of CAR-T cell-based therapies has transformed the treatment landscape for blood cancer patients. Still, the process to achieve this is “one patient – one batch”, limiting manufacturing scalability with high patient-to-patient variability. Moreover, complicated supply chain issues and associated high cost add to the hurdles of providing access to a larger population. On the other hand, the final product is often a non-specific mixed bag of cell states inhibiting its overall functional potency and durability, particularly when providing treatments for solid cancers. As a clinical-stage biotech company, Cell BioEngines is addressing these bottlenecks by utilizing healthy umbilical cord blood as a single stable source, high quality raw material to obtain ‘off-the-shelf’ true stem cells. Their first clinical-stage product is an expanded hematopoietic stem cell therapy to use as a replacement tissue in bone marrow transplantation. Their proprietary manufacturing platform technology, Stem-SPACE, allows Cell BioEngines to also produce a broad arsenal of rare, highly potent clinical-grade immune cells for dosing 10’s and 100’s of patients from 1 cord blood unit at 10X lower cost. Their lead pre-clinical-stage immune cell product is a one-size-fits-all yet personalized cell-based therapeutic vaccine, composed of allogeneic dendritic cell type 1 (cDC1).

Viruses have evolved to become shapeshifters that can evade and distract our immune system by hiding some of their most vulnerable sites. History has shown that pandemics are not only lethal but also inevitable. Currently, the vaccines we know best poorly protect against pandemics and other viral outbreaks and leave many at-risk populations unprotected. By combining structure-based design as part of a novel manufacturing process, Calder’s unique 3D-Vaxlock technology generates molecular staples that lock vaccines into their most potent shape. Their initial focus is on generating a universal flu vaccine that protects against all seasonal strains and an RSV vaccine specifically for the elderly. With this platform, they have the ability to create treatments that better protect against life-threatening diseases with exceptional safety, efficacy, and durability. Calder’s next generation vaccines will prevent severe disease and deaths, alleviate a substantial burden on the healthcare system, and allow billions of people to lead healthy lives.

For centuries, chocolate has been a staple ingredient and sweet treat in diets all over the world, but its future is in trouble. Chocolate production has long been associated with significant carbon emissions and deforestation, with a looming supply deficit predicted by 2030. To save chocolate, Nukoko is transforming the industry with its sustainable and healthy range of cocoa-free chocolate products. Their innovative solution uses precision fermentation to recreate chocolate flavors without relying on increasingly rare cocoa beans, making them the first ‘bean to bar’ maker to utilize this cutting-edge technology. With their proprietary platform, Nukoko can create chocolate using locally sourced beans from temperate regions.

In discussions surrounding climate change, there is often a focus on the negative impacts of high carbon levels in the atmosphere. However, it’s important to recognize that carbon itself is not our adversary. Instead, CroBio is leading the charge against years of unsustainable practices by restoring the balance of carbon between the soil and the atmosphere. With their innovative technology, they introduce cellulose-producing bacteria directly to plant roots. This process boosts carbon levels in the soil while also increasing water retention by more than 20X. By harnessing the power of the carbon cycle, CroBio’s advanced biotech solution enables the large-scale capture and sequestration of carbon emissions. This approach not only revitalizes soil health but also fosters biodiversity, improves food security, and paves the way for a more sustainable future for everyone.

Sustainable weight management involves adopting long-term lifestyle changes, including balanced nutrition and a focus on overall health. Traditional dieting methods and current drugs prioritize short-term weight loss and do not address the core issue of weight gain—the consumption of refined carbohydrates and sugar-laden foods. Palate Therapeutics is a new type of therapeutic company that aims to address the growing prevalence of metabolic diseases by reducing sugar consumption.Their cutting-edge technology utilizes oligonucleotides in an oral gene therapy that targets taste bud cells on the tongue, temporarily altering how sweet foods taste and are metabolized. By suppressing appetites towards sugary foods, Palate’s approach offers a promising solution to combat obesity and associated health issues.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth usage has been up over 500%, yet little progress has been made to advance this critical technology. While a video call can offer unprecedented access to your physician, it is subjective by nature and, in its current form, cannot offer much in the way of diagnosis and accurate physical assessment. With Inteleclinic, Care Constitution’s proprietary software system, clinicians and physicians have the potential to remotely evaluate their patients in a quantitative manner with diagnostic capability that is even better than an in-person visit. With their initial focus on evaluating neuromuscular disorders, clinicians can quantify minute physical changes in patient’s faces and body movements that can be incredibly beneficial for clinical trial patient recruitment and retention. Additionally, Inteleclinic allows more complex data collection for individuals in remote locations, so patients do not have to travel to clinic sites. This increased accessibility allows for more robust enrollment, especially for diverse populations that have social barriers to healthcare, those that are too sick to come to the clinic, or those that live far from clinical research sites. Care Constitution is poised to deliver on its mission to deliver better access to quality healthcare for all.