The oversubscribed seed round was led by LifeX Ventures, with participation from Verve Ventures, Zühlke Ventures, Oxford Seed Fund, Lichtsteiner Foundation, W.A. de Vigier Foundation, the founders, and a group of private individuals who have supported Limula’s vision from its inception.

Over the past decade, several breakthrough Cell and Gene Therapy products were approved in the USA and Europe, transforming stem cells and immune cells into ‘living cures’ and bringing hope to millions with life-threatening conditions. However, these treatments remained out of reach for 98% of patients suffering from now-curable conditions, partly due to complex, manual, and costly manufacturing processes.

The company was founded in 2020 by Dr Yann Pierson, Dr Luc Henry, and Dr Thomas Eaton to deliver a disruptive approach to the ‘ex vivo’ manipulation of cells, based on a novel technology. The trio observed that outdated manufacturing methods hindered the adoption of Cell and Gene Therapy products – like chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cells. Although breakthrough discoveries in genetic engineering and medicine have revolutionised treatment, the process of boosting patients’ cells to produce a dose in a laboratory still requires numerous manual steps. Highly skilled labour and sterile infrastructures account for the majority of therapy costs, leading to a price tag of $500,000 or more per dose. Consequently, these treatments are inaccessible to the majority of eligible patients.

To address this, Limula developed a modular solution for on-demand, at-scale manufacturing of cell therapies in a single device. By combining the functionalities of a bioreactor and a centrifuge into one closed vessel, Limula’s proprietary solution can handle a wide range of volumes and cell numbers, eliminating transfer steps and thus reducing stress, losses, and potential contamination. With scalability potential, it can be used by cell therapy providers transitioning from pre-clinical evaluation to clinical trials, and later commercial scale manufacturing of clinical-grade cell products.

Luc Henry, co-founder and CEO of Limula said: "Our team is driven by the ambitious goal of developing tools that are based on a fundamentally novel way of manipulating cells outside of the body. Our technology supports manufacturing workflows that are impossible to automate with existing tools. We believe automation is the only route to scalability and digital traceability. These two aspects are keys unlocking the full potential of Cell and Gene Therapy, making them accessible to the many, not just the few.”

Limula’s founders built a high performing multidisciplinary team, most recently joined by domain experts Olivier Waridel, former CEO of Cytiva-owned Biosafe, Caroline Boudousquié, former Head of Process Development at the Center for experimental therapeutics (CTE) of the University Hospital in Lausanne, and Maria Elena Grisostolo, former VP Operations at Lunaphore.

After completing an initial proof of concept, the company launched a program to provide selected industry and academic partners access to the innovative platform ahead of its commercial launch. With the aim to broaden the scope of applications, Limula has signed partnerships with several research centres including San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy in Milan, Italy - a world-recognized centre of excellence for research and clinical translation of cell and gene therapy.

Prof. Bernhard Gentner at San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy said: “We believe the solution Limula is advancing can support our current process development activities and later enable the manufacturing of these cell products at scale. We also see its potential in improving the status quo in Cell & Gene Therapy manufacturing in general, and in the field of haematopoietic stem cell transplantation in particular.”

Dr Inaki Berenguer, managing partner at LifeX Ventures added: "We're thrilled to stand with the Limula team as they reinvent cell and gene therapy manufacturing. It's evident that production tools have lagged behind scientific and clinical advancements, particularly in terms of price and scalability. Limula's commitment to addressing these bottlenecks is crucial to enhancing accessibility for patients.”

Looking ahead, Limula will use its new seed capital to significantly advance the development of the proprietary platform composed of a device and single use consumables, towards meeting good manufacturing practice (GMP) requirements. The solution developed by Limula is an enabling tool for a rapidly growing market. The potential of Cell and Gene Therapies to save the lives of millions of patients globally has generated significant interest – and investment – leading to a significant pipeline and several recent approvals by health authorities. Both industrial and academic players are now eager to adopt next-generation automated and scalable solutions with the shared goal to significantly increase market reach and broaden accessibility.