Five scientists walked into a lab late last year and decided to establish a startup combining their wide-ranging expertise, practical experience and breakthrough innovations. The goal of their startup,, is to improve the lives of millions of people by leveraging AI to produce human tissue for cell therapies. The market for the therapies for the diseases they aim to address is estimated at $250 billion.
In addition to assembling a dream team, Breakstone points to three fundamental differentiators: the focus on somites; using embryo digital twins to guide and control the discovery, optimization and production variability in CRT; and novel use of AI. The new insights into cell differentiation and tissue development paved the way to today’s cell replacement therapy. “It’s the most sophisticated therapy that has ever been invented,” says Klein. Instead of therapies based on a drug delivered to a cell, now the treatment itself is “a living cell that can sense, respond, form tissues, regenerate.” CRT today, says Klein, represents enormous potential but also enormous complexity.