As we celebrate the recent milestone of 100 startups spun out of the University of Pittsburgh since the launch of the Innovation Institute in late 2013, we are regularly updating their progression towards making an impact in the world.
Today we check in with LyGenesis Inc., which licensed technology from the laboratory of Eric Lagasse, Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology and Director of the Cancer Stem Cell Center at the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
LyGenesis CEO Michael Hufford (a former Innovation Institute entrepreneur in residence) and Innovation Institute Director Evan Facher appeared last week on the Pittsburgh Technology Council’s “Business as Usual” webcast.
Facher discussed the Innovation Institute’s recently completed fiscal year, which saw a record number of invention disclosures submitted by faculty and students.
Hufford detailed the progress LyGenesis has made since being formed in 2018, including closing a $4 million funding round last October and assembling a new $25 million financing round to advance its technology through clinical trials, hopefully beginning later this year.
LyGenesis has developed a method for growing functional liver tissue inside lymph nodes from transplanted liver progenitor cells to prolong the life of people suffering end stage liver disease. It recently announced the conclusion of four peer reviewed animal studies demonstrating the effectiveness of the technology. The company is in early stages of expanding its technology platform to include kidney, thymus and pancreas tissue generation.
Click the image below to watch the webcast.
