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Historically, pig to human transplants have been a part of the medical industry for many years, and a lot of future technology is also based on this concept. The size and physiology of the two species make it possible to conduct a xenotransplant
Fremont, CA: Boston and Leverkusen based biotech company eGenesis raised USD 100 million in a Series B funding round led by Fresenius Medical Care Ventures (FMCV), with participation from new investors including Leaps by Bayer, and Wellington Partners, and existing investors ARCH Venture Partners, Biomatics Capital, Alta Partners, and Khosla Ventures.
eGenesis is a biotech startup that uses cells, livers, hearts, and lungs from other animals to create human-compatible organs. With this new funding, the company's total raised capital since inception stands at USD 138 million. The latest round of funding will be used by the company to conduct further experiments with alternative sources of human-compatible organs. The company also intends to invest in researching xenotransplants, transplants between species, like inserting a pig's heart in humans.
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“With this new round of financing from industry leaders, eGenesis is well-positioned to continue to advance the development of human-compatible organs to address the dire shortage in the U.S. and around the world," said Paul Sekhri, president and chief executive officer of eGenesis. “The concept of cross-species organ replacement, known as xenotransplantation, has re-emerged due to recent advancements in gene editing led by eGenesis, and will become a safe and effective solution for the hundreds of thousands of patients currently on the organ transplant waitlist globally.”
Historically, pig to human transplants have been a part of the medical industry for many years, and a lot of future technology is also based on this concept. The size and physiology of the two species make it possible to conduct a xenotransplant. Pig heart valves are already in use to replace damaged or diseased human valves. However, eGenesis co-founder Dr. Luhan Yang believes, despite pig to human transplantations being a goal for scientists for nearly a century now, little or no progress has been made in the field. One of the major roadblocks faced by scientists is the rejection of organs and viruses. The porcine endogenous retrovirus (PERV) has the potential to bring a viral epidemic to humans if not resolved.
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“The eGenesis approach represents a truly transformational option for patients with kidney disease,” said Dr. Olaf Schermeier, chief executive officer for global research and development of Fresenius Medical Care. "We look forward to providing our industry-leading experience in treating patients with kidney disease to support the company as they aim to bring their solution into the clinical setting."
Al Wiegman, Head of Ventures at FMCV, as well as Jürgen Eckhardt and Dr. Lucio Iannone, Director of Venture of Investments at Leaps by Bayer, will join the eGenesis Board of Directors as part of the funding deal. “Leaps by Bayer is dedicated to spearheading paradigm-shifting advances in the life sciences that could fundamentally change the world for the better,” said Jürgen Eckhardt, Head of Leaps by Bayer. “We believe eGenesis is poised to revolutionize the entire organ transplantation market, which could save lives in a way that was previously not thought possible just a few years ago."
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