UIC laboratory innovation leads to groundbreaking stem cell company
UIC laboratory innovation leads to groundbreaking stem cell company
The human genome is an instruction manual, serving as the blueprint for biological development and functions. Thanks to new technologies, scientists can cut, target and edit genes, paving the way for advancements in research and healthcare.
One team with UIC roots is taking gene editing and synthetic biology to the next level with their company, Syntax Bio. They are leveraging the CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) system’s properties to turn genes on and off in specific orders. Using their proprietary Cellgorithm™–a fusion of cell and algorithm–the Syntax Bio team uses plasmid DNA to deliver instructions to stem cells, changing them into distinct types of specialized cells that can be used for research and the development of new therapeutics.
“In my first year as a graduate student, what excited me the most about CRISPR was witnessing that folks had figured out how to modify its properties from a system that edits DNA sequences directly into a truly programmable transcription factor,” said Ryan Clarke, co-founder and chief technology officer of Syntax Bio. “Transcription factors are the epicenter of controlling what cell type a stem cell becomes in human development. If you have a synthetic transcription factor, that’s a powerful tool to then program and engineer these processes in the lab.”
To create these specialized cell types, the Syntax Bio team determines which genes get activated, and in what order. The ability to design instruction sets that function directly at the level of the genome allows scientists to more closely mimic human development compared with traditional methods. They can also do it faster. The Cellgorithm™ enables them to test many different genetic recipes in parallel; where a historical method might take two to four months, Syntax Bio’s process takes a week.
“Traditionally, you build a tissue culture environment and then cells enter it and will eventually conform to that environment over time,” said Brad Merrill, co-founder and head of innovation at Syntax Bio and UIC professor of biochemistry and molecular genetics. “Then, in order to get them to the next stage, you need to build a different environment. It’s all super complex because there are infinite variables in a cell’s environment. What we do is different. We’re giving them the instructions, from the inside, and then they read that first set of instructions, conform, go to the next step, conform.”
The idea for the Cellgorithm™ and Syntax Bio was formed at UIC in Merrill’s lab, where Clarke was a PhD student along with several MD/PhD students, including scientific co-founder Matt MacDougall who has remained a key member of the scientific advisory board. With support from the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, they solidified their invention and started their company soon after.
“I think the culture of the lab Brad built really lets scientists pursue innovation and their interests,” said Clarke. “It’s important to encourage graduate students to explore and ask, ‘what if’ and to go down rabbit holes. We all did that in his lab.”
“What Ryan was describing–how he had the freedom to pursue his passions in my lab–my department heads have always been supportive of intellectual curiosity, as well,” said Merrill. “It’s super important to feel safe to take chances.”
In 2021, Clarke was living in Boston, working in the cell therapy sector when he secured venture backing for the company from prominent Silicon Valley investors. As CEO at the time, he planned to launch Syntax Bio on one of the coasts where biotech companies were more prevalent, but ultimately decided to build it in Chicago where he had essential connections to co-founder and mentor Merrill, the UIC network and the growing biotech industry in the city, which offered access to a lot of subject matter experts.
Half of Syntax Bio’s initial staff were from UIC and unlike many startups in the biotech hubs on the coasts, the first group of hired scientists have been at Syntax Bio for three to four years, with plans to stay at the company for a long time.
“Investors were always barking at Brad and me, ‘It’s never going to work if you’re in Chicago. You have to be in one of the old-school biotech cities,’” said Clarke. “And it turns out what has to work is the science.”
Since its founding, Syntax Bio has raised over $20 million and worked with companies to develop cells for the retina, blood, muscles and cartilage. Recently, Syntax Bio signed an agreement to make pancreatic cells for Breakthrough T1D, which will be used to alleviate the need for insulin injections in patients with type 1 diabetes.
This year, Clarke was selected to Crain’s Chicago Business nd Merrill was awarded the iBio iCON Innovator Award. The team also published an article in Science Advances outlining the development of their Cellgorithm™.
“We started the company with a very general thesis that we’ve had stem cells for a long time now, and a lot of very smart people have spent a lot of effort and money trying to figure out how to turn them into therapies,” said Merrill. “We think that there may be an underlying weak point in the approach and that our technology could bypass that weak point in stem cell differentiation and have a real impact.”
In addition to Clarke and Merrill, Syntax Bio’s leadership team includes computational biology expert and co-founder Niko Balanis who Clarke met in Boston, as well as biotech industry veteran CEO John Craighead who recently joined as the company prepares for large-scale expansion. To learn more about the company, visit their website.