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
SPIE, the International Society for Optics and Photonics, Announces Its 2026 Society Awards8.1.2026 18:26:00 CET | Press release
The 22 award recipients represent an exciting range of stellar achievements across light-based sciences and technologies Today, the Awards Committee of SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, announced the recipients of its prestigious annual awards. Honoring transformative advancements across a range of professional areas — including medicine, astronomy, lithography, optical metrology, optical design, and community leadership — the Society's awards recognize technical accomplishments as well as committed service to SPIE and support of its organizational mission. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260108227351/en/ SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, awarded their Gold Medal to Maryellen Giger (pictured here with her team) for pioneering work in computer-aided diagnosis and image analysis/AI, significant impact on clinical translation, and supporting the next generation of m
PUMA Appoints Nadia Kokni as Vice President Global Brand Marketing8.1.2026 16:30:00 CET | Press release
Sports company PUMA has appointed Nadia Kokni as Vice President, Global Brand Marketing, effective January 1, 2026. Nadia joins PUMA’s global leadership team and reports directly to Chief Brand Officer Maria Valdes. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260108099913/en/ Sports company PUMA has appointed Nadia Kokni as Vice President, Global Brand Marketing, effective January 1, 2026. Nadia joins PUMA’s global leadership team and reports directly to Chief Brand Officer Maria Valdes. In her new role as PUMA’s most senior global marketing leader, Nadia will oversee brand marketing strategy, brand marketing creative direction, integrated marketing and communication globally. Her appointment comes as PUMA accelerates its global brand ambition and sharpens storytelling around its product icons and innovation pipeline. Nadia brings deep international experience shaping and transforming leading global brands across the spor
Golub Capital Continues Strong Track Record of Consistent Results in 20258.1.2026 16:00:00 CET | Press release
Another Year of “Good Boring” through SpecializationClosed $25+ Billion in Financing Commitments in 2025Raised a Firm Record $20.5 Billion of New Investment CapitalLaunched GP-Led Secondaries Strategy Golub Capital delivered another year of “good boring,” consistent results for its stakeholders in 2025, aided by its commitment to specialization. “We have long believed that specialization is a key source of competitive advantage for Golub Capital,” said David Golub, President of the Firm. “The past year validated this. Our deep relationships, scale and expertise enabled us to continue delivering strong results for investors, sponsors, portfolio companies and our team despite a muted M&A environment and high levels of credit stress across the private equity ecosystem. We are grateful for our clients’ trust and remain committed to building long-term, win-win partnerships that endure through market cycles.” 2025 Highlights, based on preliminary results:1 Delivering strong credit performanc
Xsolla Kicks Off Two Weeks of Industry Programming, Community Events, and Expanding Support for Global Developers Across the UK at the Industry’s Biggest Winter Event8.1.2026 16:00:00 CET | Press release
Coordinated Activations in the UK Underscore Xsolla’s Ongoing Commitment to Building All The Things for the Video Community in Europe Xsolla, a global video game commerce company that helps developers launch, grow, and monetize their games, today announces a comprehensive program of events and activations across the United Kingdom taking place from January 10 to 22, 2026. This coordinated programming schedule reflects Xsolla’s continued investment in the UK and European games ecosystem. Capitalizing on a pivotal moment in the global games calendar, Xsolla is bringing developers, partners, and creators together through partnerships, live events, thought leadership, and community building. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260108943976/en/ (Graphic: Xsolla) “Pocket Gamer Connects London brings together one of the most diverse and forward-thinking communities in the mobile global games industry,” said Berkley Egene
AMRA Medical Introduces AMRA® BCP Scan in the Netherlands Through a Strategic Partnership with Prescan, a National Preventative Health Leader8.1.2026 15:31:00 CET | Press release
AMRA Medical, the global leader in MRI-based fat distribution and muscle composition analytics, alongside Dutch preventative healthcare leader Prescan, are pleased to announce the official launch of our cutting-edge AMRA® BCP Scan service, powered by AMRA® Profiler (CE, NB 2862), in the Netherlands. The launch, which marks BCP Scan’s third new market entry of 2025 (Sweden & Germany), expands the availability of our service within the EU into the Netherlands through an exclusive partnership with Prescan, an independent health & wellness clinic in Baarn which specializes in preventive health screenings and care. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260108381985/en/ AMRA® BCP Scan available at Prescan AMRA’s CEO, Olof Dahlqvist Leinhard, stated, “This is another important step in bringing our mission of driving scientific breakthroughs into the clinic by enabling deeper understanding of health and disease through MRI-
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