CA-KENAI-THERAPEUTICS
Kenai Therapeutics, a biotechnology company leveraging induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology to discover and develop a platform of allogeneic neuron replacement cell therapies for neurological disorders, today announced an $82 million Series A financing co-led by Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation, Cure Ventures and The Column Group, with participation from Euclidean Capital and Saisei Ventures. Kenai Therapeutics previously raised seed funding under the name Ryne Bio.
“We are grateful for the support of a syndicate of leading life science investors and a team of industry veterans, including scientific co-founders Dr. Howard Federoff and Dr. Jeffrey Kordower, who see the promise in Kenai’s approach to treating central nervous system disorders,” said Nick Manusos, chief executive officer of Kenai Therapeutics. “Their guidance will be invaluable as we soon advance our lead candidate, RNDP-001, into the clinic for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.”
RNDP-001 is an iPSC-derived, allogeneic dopamine progenitor cell therapy for the treatment of both idiopathic and inherited forms of Parkinson’s disease, and has displayed robust survival, innervation, and behavioral rescue in preclinical models of Parkinson’s disease. Proceeds from the financing will enable the Company to submit an IND for RNDP-001 and complete Phase 1 clinical trials, which will initiate within the year.
“Kenai’s proprietary platform leverages an emerging approach to treating central nervous system disorders by replacing neurons lost due to neurodegeneration,” said Jeff Jonas, M.D., chair and board member of Kenai Therapeutics and partner at Cure Ventures. “The potentially curative nature of RNDP-001 for Parkinson’s disease could dramatically alter outcomes for patients with very few treatment options.”
Beyond RNDP-001, Kenai is developing a robust pipeline of advanced off-the-shelf dopamine neuron replacement cell therapeutics for neurological disorders. The Company will continue to work with its contract manufacturing partner, FUJIFILM Cellular Dynamics, a leading expert in iPSC technology and research, for manufacturing and development services.
“As a global leader in the field of iPSCs, we are thrilled to support the Kenai Therapeutics team to achieve progress in this promising area of science for patients with neurodegenerative diseases,” said Tomoyuki Hasegawa, president and chief executive officer at FUJIFILM Cellular Dynamics, Inc.
“Kenai’s approach to treating Parkinson’s disease is meaningfully differentiated from competing cell therapy approaches and has disease-modifying potential for patients with limited, primarily symptomatic, treatment options,” said Jeff Goater, partner at The Column Group. “We are proud to be able to support Kenai in its mission to advance RNDP-001 to help families and patients suffering with this devastating disease.”
About Kenai Therapeutics
Kenai Therapeutics (Kenai) is a biotechnology company pioneering next generation approaches to cure neurological disorders. The Company utilizes allogeneic induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology, a Nobel Prize-winning breakthrough that enables scientists to manufacture many human cell types, in order to advance Kenai’s off-the-shelf neuron replacement therapeutics. By focusing on an iPSC technology platform, and forging partnerships with global leaders in surgical delivery and clinical development, Kenai is dedicated to advancing a best-in-class pipeline targeting neurological diseases. For additional information, please visit: www.kenaitx.com.
About Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation
The Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation (APFC) was created by the Alaska Legislature in 1980 as a quasi-independent state entity tasked with the important mission of prudently investing and managing the assets of the Alaska Permanent Fund. The Fund’s total assets are approximately $80 billion and are invested across a broad range of assets including equities, fixed income, alternatives and real estate. The Fund has been an active investor in biotechnology and life sciences dating back to 2013 and these assets now represent approximately 8% of APFC’s $15 billion private equity portfolio. For more information, please visit: www.apfc.org.
About Cure Ventures
Founded in 2021, Cure Ventures is a life sciences venture capital firm focusing on de novo company formation around groundbreaking curative technologies. Above all else, the Cure team leads with respect for people and for science. Led by highly accomplished industry veterans, Cure’s investment thesis is founded on three tenets: A seed funding model that allows Cure to de-risk the science and set companies up for success; genetic validation that increases the probability of success; and embedded Cure operators to drive the best day-to-day decision making in collaboration with founders. For more information, please visit: www.curevc.com.
About The Column Group
The Column Group (TCG) is a leading venture capital firm based in San Francisco that seeks to partner with exceptional scientific founders, entrepreneurs, executives, and investment organizations with a shared vision for building the next generation of drug discovery and development companies. TCG invests in disease-focused drug discovery companies with the potential to become leaders in their respective fields. These companies are strongly supported by the unique and complimentary skill sets of TCG’s team, which includes prominent authorities in the scientific, operational, and financial arenas. For more information, please visit: www.thecolumngroup.com.
About FUJIFILM Cellular Dynamics, Inc.
FUJIFILM Cellular Dynamics, Inc. is a leading developer and manufacturer of human iPSCs and iPSC-derived cells utilized in drug discovery, contract development and manufacturing services for cell therapies. For its partners, FUJIFILM Cellular Dynamics utilizes its iPSC platform to advance the progress of therapeutic candidates in the clinic and provides contract development and manufacturing (CDMO) services. In addition to cell therapy, FUJIFILM Cellular Dynamics also offers life science research tools including the company’s inventoried iCell® products, which are available in almost any cell type and are sourced from multiple cell lines which can be applied for target identification as well as toxicity testing. The company also offers custom cell services and cell banking. FUJIFILM Cellular Dynamics’ goal is to leverage the vast utility of iPSCs to advance human health and improve the quality of life for patients around the world. For more information, please visit: www.fujifilmcdi.com.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240229997334/en/
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Murata Unveils World’s First 15nF/1.25kV C0G MLCC in 1210-inch Size2.12.2025 03:00:00 CET | Press release
Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (TOKYO: 6981) (ISIN: JP3914400001) announces the launch and mass production of its multilayer ceramic capacitor (MLCC) featuring a capacitance of 15nF, a rated voltage of 1.25kV, and C0G characteristics in the compact 1210-inch (3.2mm x 2.5mm) size. This product delivers highly efficient power conversion and stable performance under high-voltage conditions, making it suitable for onboard chargers (OBCs) in electric vehicles (EVs) and power supply circuits in high-performance consumer devices. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251201104421/en/ [Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.] 15nF/1.25kV/C0G MLCC in 1210-inch Size Resonant and snubber circuits are essential for efficient power conversion and suppressing current and voltage peaks. In both circuits, repeated exposure to high voltage and high current can cause even slight changes in component performance, leading to efficiency loss or
With 40% of Agentic AI Projects Predicted to Fail, Leading Software Developer Says Compliance Is the One Place Where Agentic AI Will Thrive2.12.2025 01:01:00 CET | Press release
Ideagen's CEO explains why binary outcomes and high stakes make compliance ideal for autonomous AI The CEO of one of the world’s leading global compliance software developers, Ideagen, has today (December 2, 2025) said compliance represents the one domain where autonomous AI will succeed – despite technology insights company Gartner® warning "… over 40% of agentic AI projects will be canceled by the end of 2027”. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251201511477/en/ Ben Dorks, Ideagen CEO Speaking at the launch of their own agentic AI platform Ideagen Mazlan, Ben Dorks said: “Autonomous AI will succeed in compliance because failure is measurable, stakes are high and outcomes are binary. “AI that continuously monitors jurisdictional or industry specific compliance frameworks, detects patterns across thousands of records, raises actions for others to follow, flags gaps before audits, autonomously? That's agentic. It
VeriSilicon’s NPU IP VIP9000NanoOi-FS has Achieved ISO 26262 ASIL B Certification2.12.2025 01:00:00 CET | Press release
Extending the company’s functional safety IP portfolio to NPU IP VeriSilicon (688521.SH) today announced that its NPU IP VIP9000NanoOi-FS has successfully achieved ISO 26262 ASIL B certification, marking a significant milestone in the functional safety capabilities of the company’s neural network processing unit portfolio. This IP features an architecture streamlined for seamless SoC integration, delivering high-quality inference with low power consumption and a compact silicon footprint. The certificate was issued by SGS-TÜV Saar, an international testing, inspection and certification institution. As part of VeriSilicon’s VIP9000 series, the VIP9000NanoOi-FS IP is designed for automotive and edge AI applications, providing high-performance neural network processing with a safety-compliant architecture. The IP supports a wide range of AI inferencing models including Large Language Models (LLMs) and Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), with hardware-accelerated AI inference, enabling r
UMA Launches from Europe to Shape the Global Future of Physical AI1.12.2025 23:52:00 CET | Press release
UMA (Universal Mechanical Assistant), a new robotics intelligence company founded by former leaders from Tesla, Google DeepMind, Nvidia and Hugging Face, launches today with a clear goal: to bring advanced AI into the physical world and build humanoid robots ready for real work, in real environments, at scale. UMA’s founders were instrumental in shaping the last decade of breakthroughs in deep learning, robotics and open-source AI. They are convinced that the next era of artificial intelligence won’t unfold on screens, it will happen in warehouses, hospitals, labs, factories and homes, where machines must face friction, unpredictability and human complexity. UMA is built for this transition: from digital intelligence to physical autonomy. AI Is Moving Off the Screen and into the World The past ten years gave rise to generative models, multimodal systems and language-based intelligence. The next decade will be defined by robotics, powered by an AI that can see, move, manipulate and make
FlightSafety International Appoints Eric Hinson as Chief Executive Officer1.12.2025 23:00:00 CET | Press release
FlightSafety International Inc. today announced the appointment of Eric Hinson as chief executive officer, effective immediately. Hinson will succeed former president Barbara Telek who recently announced her retirement. Hinson’s appointment marks a return to FlightSafety. He served as an executive vice president from 2009 to 2012 before leaving to be the president and CEO of Simcom International, Inc. Hinson started his aviation career as a naval aviator flying tactical aircraft in training, fleet, and operational test squadrons. Today, he is an active ATP-rated pilot with more than 5,000 total flight hours. He brings a unique operational perspective to the position—one that blends executive leadership with firsthand experience. In addition to FlightSafety and Simcom, Hinson has served in a variety of senior leadership positions at leading aviation companies, including Honeywell, Gulfstream, and Piaggio Aerospace. He also served as a board member of the General Aviation Manufacturer As
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom