WINSTON-SALEM, NC, Feb. 7, 2023 – Immunaeon is the latest addition to the RegeneratOR Innovation AcceleratOR, located in the Regenerative Medicine Hub (RegenMed Hub), a rapidly growing regenerative medicine ecosystem based in the Innovation Quarter of Winston-Salem.
Credit: WFIRM
WINSTON-SALEM, NC, Feb. 7, 2023 – Immunaeon is the latest addition to the RegeneratOR Innovation AcceleratOR, located in the Regenerative Medicine Hub (RegenMed Hub), a rapidly growing regenerative medicine ecosystem based in the Innovation Quarter of Winston-Salem.
Immuneaon is a New York based business that focuses on immunotherapy with immune cell storage – a preventative measure to store healthy cells against potential future cancers or other diseases. The company describes it as “taking command of your cellular army.” People’s immune systems weaken as they age or if attacked by cancer, but collection and storage of healthy cells can provide access to healthy cells for personalized cell therapy.
Through the Innovation Accelerator, Immunaeon can further develop its research into cell-based drug development using cryopreserved cells that will allow immunotherapies to be more effective in cancer patients. “The promise of immunotherapy is in providing curative strategies for cancer patients. By allowing every person to access the most effective cellular starting material, we can help patients live longer, healthier lives,” said Adam Utley, founder and CEO of Immunaeon. “Partnering with WFIRM and the RegeneratOR, we can achieve our goals faster and make a real difference in the immunotherapy landscape.”
The RegenMed Hub is the destination for regenerative medicine and is powered by the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM), Innovation Quarter and the RegenMed Development Organization (ReMDO). The RegendMed Hub offers companies, like Immuneaon, access to unparalleled resources to advance education, products, and manufacturing with the ultimate goal of improving patient care.
To officially join the RegenMed Hub, Immunaeon secured space within the Innovation AcceleratOR, a program that supports innovation from research to commercialization for start ups, growth companies, and established companies developing emerging technologies in regenerative medicine. Physical presence in the ecosystem gives unprecedented access to strategic partners, in addition to state-of-the-art biomanufacturing equipment, cutting edge technologies, industry expertise, talent, training program, and many more resources.
“We are looking forward to supporting Immunaeon through access to our Test Bed, where they are already working with an end-to-end modular biomanufacturing facility and exploring collaborations with other Innovation AcceleratOR companies,” said Joshua Hunsberger, PhD, Chief Technology Officer of ReMDO.
Anthony Atala, MD, WFIRM director, credits Utley and Immunaeon with trusting the vision for the RegenMed Hub. “Immunaeon joins a strong roster of companies in the Innovation AcceleratOR. We believe this region has a lot to offer in terms of helping these companies be successful, and, at the same time, we can advance the regenerative medicine field nationally.”
Media Contact: Bonnie Davis, [email protected]
About Immunaeon: Immunaeon is a Buffalo, NY-based immune cell storage company with a mission to help people leverage life-saving medical sciences for their lifetime – whether it’s bringing a healthier immune system to a cancer patient today, or implementing immunotherapies that will prevent different diseases in the future.
About the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine: The Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine is recognized as an international leader in translating scientific discovery into clinical therapies, with many world firsts, including the development and implantation of the first engineered organ in a patient. Over 400 people at the Institute, the largest in the world, work on more than 40 different tissues and organs. A number of the basic principles of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine were first developed at the Institute. WFIRM researchers have successfully engineered replacement tissues and organs in all four categories – flat structures, tubular tissues, hollow organs and solid organs – and 15 different applications of cell/tissue therapy technologies, such as skin, urethras, cartilage, bladders, muscle, kidney, and vaginal organs, have been successfully used in human patients. The Institute, which is part of Wake Forest School of Medicine, is located in the Innovation Quarter in downtown Winston-Salem, NC, and is driven by the urgent needs of patients. The Institute is making a global difference in regenerative medicine through collaborations with over 400 entities and institutions worldwide, through its government, academic and industry partnerships, its start-up entities, and through major initiatives in breakthrough technologies, such as tissue engineering, cell therapies, diagnostics, drug discovery, biomanufacturing, nanotechnology, gene editing and 3D printing.
About the RegenMed Development Organization: The mission of the RegenMed Development Organization (ReMDO) is to accelerate the discovery and translation of regenerative medicine therapies. ReMDO is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that manages a clinical translation initiative that includes thought leaders, representatives from leading US research centers, government representatives, and companies of all sizes. ReMDO conducts research to de-risk technologies and speed up the translation of regenerative medicine to clinical practice and to the global market. ReMDO manages the world’s first and only professional organization dedicated solely to advancing the regenerative medicine field, the Regenerative Medicine Manufacturing Society (RMMS), and the Regenerative Medicine Manufacturing Innovation Consortium (RegMIC), which manages a private-public partnership of industry and academic members focused on scaling up technologies.