Encellin, a San Francisco, CA-based biotechnology company developing a cell encapsulation platform with an initial focus on Type 1 Diabetes, closed a $9.9M financing round.
The round was led by Khosla Ventures, with participation from Y Combinator.
Led by Crystal Nyitray, Ph.D., CEO & Co-Founder, Encellin has developed an Encapsulated Cell Replacement Therapy (EnCRT) to isolate therapeutic cells from the body’s immune system, to help therapeutic cells survive in the body. Once implanted, cells within the porous EnCRT are able to exchange the biomolecules with the body, which Encellin seeks to demonstrate will provide a therapeutic benefit and function as a living medicine.
Preclinical data with its first candidate, using ENC-201 in T1D, reported no fibrosis, or immune response, while maintaining cell viability and function. Preclinical data also demonstrated that primary islets encapsulated with Encellin’s EnCRT may be able to reverse T1D.
The new funding will advance a Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating subcutaneous transplantation of primary islets within Encellin’s EnCRT in T1D. First-in-human data from the Phase 1 study is expected next year. The financing will also be used for team expansion and further development of the technology platform.
