Syntax Bio Announces Expanded Series A and Leadership Appointments

Company raises additional capital to advance Cellgorithm™ platform, develop pancreatic beta cell therapy for type 1 diabetes and strengthen leadership

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Syntax Bio, a synthetic biology company programming the next generation of cell therapies, today announced an expanded Series A and new appointments to its executive leadership team, board of directors and scientific advisory board. The expansion brings Syntax Bio’s Series A to $14.4 million and total funding to over $25 million.

The expanded round builds on support from Astellas Venture Management, Illumina Ventures, DCVC Bio, Civilization Ventures, EGB Capital, Mansueto Office, and Portal Innovations, and includes new participation from Draper Associates, Allegis Capital, LongGame, Mayo Clinic, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Illinois Ventures, Exit Fund, Sigma Group, and Walder Ventures. Proceeds will support further advancement of the company’s proprietary Cellgorithm™ platform and fund pancreatic beta cell therapy development for type 1 diabetes through pre-clinical proof-of-concept.

“We are pleased to expand our Series A with strong support from both new and existing investors,” said John Craighead, Ph.D., chief executive officer of Syntax Bio. “This financing enables us to accelerate sequential, endogenous gene activation technology, advance the first cell therapy discovered using the Cellgorithm platform and build collaborations to develop scalable regenerative medicines for serious diseases.”

“Syntax’s pioneering stem cell programming technology addresses the central constraint in regenerative medicine: the ability to reliably and efficiently generate functional cells at population scale,” said Tim Draper, founding partner of Draper Associates. “We are excited to support the company as it advances toward clinical translation and builds a category-defining longevity platform needed to realize century-long healthspans.”

Syntax Bio also announced leadership appointments to the company’s executive team, board of directors and scientific advisory board. Co-founder Ryan Clarke, Ph.D., has transitioned from chief technology officer to chief scientific officer, where he will continue leading the company’s scientific strategy and stem cell therapy innovation. Co-founder Nikolas Balanis, Ph.D., has been elevated to chief technology officer and will oversee continued advancement of the company’s synthetic biology platform and AI-driven computational biology capabilities. Clarke and Balanis will report to Craighead, who joined the company as chief executive officer in 2025.

Doug Doerfler and Pete Bodine have joined Syntax Bio’s board of directors. Melissa Carpenter, Ph.D., and Everett Meyer, M.D., Ph.D., have joined Syntax Bio’s scientific advisory board.

“These appointments strengthen our executive, strategic and scientific leadership at an important stage of growth,” Craighead said. “Ryan and Niko alongside co-founder Brad Merrill, Ph.D. have been instrumental in building Syntax Bio from the beginning, and these roles position each of them to lead the areas where they bring the greatest expertise and long-term value to the company. Doug and Pete bring deep experience in company building, capital formation and strategic oversight, while Melissa and Everett add leading expertise in stem cell biology and translational medicine. Together, this team strengthens our ability to scale Cellgorithm technology, advance our growing pipeline of cell therapies with collaborators and build a transformational cellular programming company.”

Doerfler is a pioneering biotechnology entrepreneur and executive with more than 40 years of leadership experience spanning cell engineering, advanced therapeutics and biotechnology commercialization, including founding and leading Nasdaq-listed MaxCyte as chief executive officer for more than two decades and serving on boards across the cell therapy, genomics and enabling technology sectors.

Bodine is managing director at Allegis Capital, where he has spent nearly two decades investing in and advising early-stage technology companies, with a focus on cloud computing, data analytics, mobile and emerging enterprise technologies. He has extensive experience working with leadership teams on strategic growth, operational scaling, executive recruitment and financing, and has served on the boards of multiple high-growth technology companies.

Carpenter is a recognized leader in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine with more than 30 years of experience spanning academia and industry, including prior roles as chief scientific officer of regenerative medicine at ElevateBio and senior leadership positions at ViaCyte, Geron and StemCells Inc.

A practicing physician specializing in stem cell transplantation and cellular therapy, Meyer is professor of medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, where he directs the allogeneic stem cell transplantation program and holds the Christine L. Honnen Endowed Chair in Regenerative Medicine. He also serves as director of manufacturing at the Gates Institute and executive director of translational science at CU Innovations.

“Our focus is on building the future of regenerative medicine around cellular programming,” Craighead said. “With expanded capital and strengthened leadership, we are well positioned to accelerate Cellgorithm technology and pioneer cell therapies that eliminate disease and meaningfully extend healthy lifespans.”

The financing and leadership additions come as Syntax Bio continues to build momentum across research and platform validation. The company recently announced a collaboration with Mayo Clinic, received a grant from Breakthrough T1D and published peer-reviewed research in Science Advances describing its CRISPR-based Cellgorithm technology. Members of the scientific advisory board work with Syntax Bio’s leadership and research team to inform scientific strategy and translational direction, while the board of directors provides oversight of corporate strategy, governance and long-term growth.

About Syntax Bio

Syntax Bio is a synthetic biology company programming the next generation of cell therapies. Its proprietary Cellgorithm™ platform uses a CRISPR-based system to program and accelerate stem cell differentiation, transforming how regenerative medicines are discovered, developed, and manufactured. By replacing slow, labor-intensive differentiation processes with a rapid, programmable approach that mimics human development, Syntax Bio makes cellular generation more reliable and scalable at unprecedented speed, unlocking new possibilities across the biotechnology industry. Learn more at www.syntaxbio.com.