Our mission
Coding cells for novel cures
What we do
91探花 is a synthetic biology company providing human cells for research, drug discovery and cell therapy. The company applies a patented safe harbour gene-targeting approach (opti-ox鈩�; ) to inducibly express transcription factor combinations that reprogram human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) into highly defined and mature human cell types.
The required transcription factor combinations are discovered using high throughput screens and advanced data analysis (91探花 discovery platform). The company is currently marketing a wide range of cells and disease models for research and drug discovery under its ioCells brand including nerve cells, immune cells and muscle cells.
The company was spun out of the University of Cambridge in 2016 and has since raised approximately $225M from leading investors, including Arch Venture, Blueyard Capital, Charles River Laboratories, Foresite Capital, M&G, Milky Way, National Resilience, and Tencent.
The company has expertise in the underpinning science of synthetic biology and stem cells, manufacturing, and clinical translation. The board includes Founder Dr Mark Kotter, CEO Przemek Obloj, and Dr Richard Klausner.
Connie is an experienced commercial director in the biotechnology sector, having lead Marketing, Technical Support, Field Applications and Field & Inside Sales functions across a range of scale-up phase companies. Having worked with businesses through IPO, sale and mass private equity, Connie is accustomed to building consistent and scalable revenue profiles to match corporate objectives, as well as training commercial teams to execute effectively.
Cornel Chiriac is an investment director with M&G Crossover Fund, focusing on late-stage investments in technology and science globally. He founded and invested for 10 years with 2050 Capital specialising in biotech and deep technology ventures. He also leads the Chicago Booth Angels Network in London and has extensive experience in strategy consulting at LEK Consulting.
Scientific advisory board
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Dr. Katy Rezvani is a Professor of Stem Cell Transplantation & Cellular Therapy at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, where she serves as the Sally Cooper Murray Chair in Cancer Research, chief of the section for cellular therapy, director of translational research, and medical director of the GMP Facility. She also serves as executive director of MD Anderson's Adoptive Cell Therapy Platform. She leads a research lab with a focus on NK cell biology and developing novel NK cell engineering strategies for cancer, with the aim of translating these discoveries to the clinic. Dr. Rezvani completed her medical training at University College London, England and her PhD at Imperial College London. She completed her training in immunology and transplantation biology at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD. In addition, she has co-authored over 200 peer-reviewed publications and has received multiple prizes and awards.
"At 91探花, we are passionate about engineering human cells that will enable the medicine of the future."
| MD, PhD, Founder
