The Weizmann Institute startup building cells that can replace organs
Renewal Bio’s breakthrough could transform transplants and anti-aging medicine.
Think about it for a moment: what if each of us could make our own replacement parts? Simply take a sample of our skin and turn it into a blood cell, a liver cell, or a heart cell. Instead of waiting for an organ donor and fearing rejection, we could repair our organs with cells from the original manufacturer, our own cells.
It may sound like science fiction, but that’s exactly what Renewal Bio is doing, a small startup from Rehovot, founded by Prof. Jacob Hanna of the Weizmann Institute and his first two doctoral students. “We’re creating a kind of fountain of youth,” admits Prof. Hanna. “We’re creating cells that are young and customized, which can replace aging tissues and slow down the aging process.”
Renewal Bio’s technology builds on groundbreaking research that won the Nobel Prize in 2012. The first laureate, John Gurdon, demonstrated in frogs that an adult cell placed inside an egg could produce an entire frog, essentially cloning it. “He showed that the egg can erase the entire memory of the cell,” explains Prof. Hanna, “like restarting a computer.”
The second laureate, Shinya Yamanaka, took it further, showing that with just four proteins, an adult cell can be reverted back into a stem cell, without the need for an egg. “You temporarily insert these four genes, and the cell knows how to return to the stem cell stage,” Hanna notes.
But here’s the challenge: how do you take a stem cell and direct it to become the specific cell you need? “I can’t just take stem cells and transplant them because they don’t know how to find their way around on their own,” Hanna says. “We use a method where the cells make their own decisions, mimicking what happens naturally in the womb.”
The uniqueness of Renewal Bio lies in allowing stem cells to develop under conditions that mimic natural embryonic development, including the placenta. This approach enables the company to produce dozens of cell types.
“We make stembroids,” says Dr. Ohad Gafni, co-founder and CSO, pointing to a caption on his shirt. While it’s unclear if the hashtag will catch on, the process itself is fascinating. “We take skin cells and turn them into induced stem cells, essentially cells reverted to the sixth day of embryonic development. These cells can differentiate into any tissue in the body.”
The company forms these cells into a 3D cell cluster, simulating early embryonic development. “What’s unique about our system,” explains Dr. Gafni, “is that it provides the cells with a complete biological environment. They can differentiate into the embryo itself, as well as extraembryonic tissues, the placenta and yolk sac, allowing controlled and normal differentiation.”
To recreate natural conditions, Renewal Bio developed a specialized incubator simulating the womb: motility, gas control, temperature, humidity, and pressure. “We control what the cells eat and the medium they grow in,” Gafni adds. “This allows us to improve growth and promote specific outcomes.”
Despite the technology’s complexity, Dr. Vladik Krupalnik, CEO and co-founder, estimates the products will reach the market faster than expected. “We can produce over 100 different cell types,” he says. “Our first product will be bone marrow cells, which can be used for transplants in cancer patients and to treat orphan diseases.”
Orphan diseases, rare conditions with no existing cures, offer an accelerated regulatory path. “Because patient numbers are low, companies normally have little incentive to develop treatments,” explains Dr. Hadassa Waterman, head of biotech at the Ehrlich Group. “Authorities classify them as orphan diseases, which allows faster approval.”
Krupalnik estimates the company could bring its first product to market within five years. “It’s crucial to strategize early,” he says. “Not everything is about building a drug, parts of the platform can be defined as equipment or media. Once recognized by the FDA, it shortens clinical trials by years.”
Renewal Bio’s vision goes far beyond disease treatment. “Our goal,” says Prof. Hanna, “is that anyone needing cells for transplantation can give a blood sample, and we produce the required cells, bone marrow, eggs for fertility treatments, or pancreatic cells for diabetics.”
“We provide cells for transplantation,” concludes Krupalnik. “You don’t need an entire organ; the right cells are enough for function.” Asked if he is an “organ repair shop,” he smiles: “I am an organ repair shop, and as the son of a mechanic, that’s how I start many of my lectures.”
Beyond therapeutic applications, Renewal Bio’s technology holds enormous potential for biological rejuvenation. “When you return a cell to its naive state, you erase its age,” says Prof. Hanna. “It doesn’t matter if the cell is a month or 90 years old, once naive, it becomes as young as it was the day it was created. It’s a literal fountain of youth.”
The story of Krupalnik, inspired to start the company after losing a close friend, reflects this hope. “If I could have given him his lung cells, he would have survived,” he says. “That’s our aspiration, that everyone has access to at least one treatment that can save or renew their organs.”
