We develop genetically encoded platforms that bridge molecular discovery with real-world biotechnology, Working through strategic partnerships and university spin-offs, we translate advances in genome engineering and stem cell programming into scalable solutions.
From bench to bedside: safe and accessible cardiac regeneration
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Human pluripotent stem cell–derived cardiomyocytes (hPSC-CMs) hold great promise for repairing the injured heart, but their immature electrophysiology can trigger engraftment arrhythmias that limit therapeutic use. In earlier work, as part of the University of Washington Heart Regeneration Program directed by Chuck Murry, we addressed this challenge through the MEDUSA platform, combining pharmacology and genome editing to fine-tune the ion-channel composition of stem cell–derived cardiomyocytes. By silencing genes that promote pacemaker-like activity and enhancing those that stabilize repolarization, we generated cells that beat synchronously with host myocardium without arrhythmias.
We are now extending this approach to engineer chamber-specific cardiomyocytes optimized to support the failing right ventricle in hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) with Fontain circulation, providing a bridge toward transplantation and a first step toward long-term repair of this congenital defect. In the longer term, we envision that genetic programming of mature cardiomyocytes will help democratize access to life-saving regenerative therapies for a wide range of cardiac diseases affecting millions of patients worldwide. |
Graphical abstract of Marchianò S. et al., Cell Stem Cell 2024
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From lab to factory: scaling up cellular agriculture
Feeding a global population projected to surpass ten billion by 2050 requires diversifying how we produce protein while reducing the environmental cost of livestock farming, which today occupies nearly 70 % of arable land and generates at least 15 % of greenhouse-gas emissions. Cultivated meat—producing edible tissue directly from animal cells—offers a realistic path to replicate the taste, texture, and nutrition of conventional meat without the ecological footprint. Yet despite rapid scientific progress and major investment, its scalability remains constrained by a central bottleneck: the dependence on costly growth factors that have little nutritional value but are essential for cell expansion and differentiation. Overcoming this dependence is crucial to make cultivated meat affordable and commercially viable.
We previously addressed this challenge in the context of differentiation through the opti-ox platform (optimized inducible overexpression), which enables deterministic forward programming of both human and livestock pluripotent stem cells into mature cell types by precisely controlling the genome architects of cellular differentiation. This technology established a dual safe-harbor targeting strategy that ensures reproducible, high-efficiency conversion of stem cells into skeletal myocytes and adipocytes, among other lineages. The platform has been licensed to bit.bio for human R&D and therapeutic applications and to Meatable for the large-scale production of cultivated pork. Using opti-ox, Meatable has developed and showcased a cultivated pork sausage currently undergoing regulatory assessment in Singapore.
We are now extending these efforts through to remove growth-factor dependence during stem-cell expansion, accelerate proliferation and differentiation, and increase the functional maturity of the resulting tissues. We envision that these bioreactor-ready cell lines will enable scalable, cost-competitive cultivated meat production, helping diversify global protein sources while reducing the land, water, and climate impacts of traditional meat production.
We previously addressed this challenge in the context of differentiation through the opti-ox platform (optimized inducible overexpression), which enables deterministic forward programming of both human and livestock pluripotent stem cells into mature cell types by precisely controlling the genome architects of cellular differentiation. This technology established a dual safe-harbor targeting strategy that ensures reproducible, high-efficiency conversion of stem cells into skeletal myocytes and adipocytes, among other lineages. The platform has been licensed to bit.bio for human R&D and therapeutic applications and to Meatable for the large-scale production of cultivated pork. Using opti-ox, Meatable has developed and showcased a cultivated pork sausage currently undergoing regulatory assessment in Singapore.
We are now extending these efforts through to remove growth-factor dependence during stem-cell expansion, accelerate proliferation and differentiation, and increase the functional maturity of the resulting tissues. We envision that these bioreactor-ready cell lines will enable scalable, cost-competitive cultivated meat production, helping diversify global protein sources while reducing the land, water, and climate impacts of traditional meat production.
Cultivated pork sausages by Meatable, which owns the credit for this image (media kit)