CA-KENAI-THERAPEUTICS
29.2.2024 13:01:28 CET | Business Wire | Press release
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’s Releases Technology Guide to Enhance Power Stability in AI-driven Data Centers4.2.2026 03:00:00 CET | Press release
Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (TOKYO: 6981) (ISIN: JP3914400001) has launched a new technology guide entitled: ‘Optimizing Power Delivery Networks for AI Servers in Next-Generation Data Centers.’ Available on the company’s website, the guide introduces specific power delivery network optimization solutions for AI servers that enhance power stability and reduce power losses across the data center infrastructure. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260203101664/en/ [Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.] Technology guide to enhance power stability in AI-driven data centers The guide addresses the rapid advancement and adoption of AI, a trend driving the continuous rollout of new data centers worldwide. As the industry moves toward higher voltage operations and increased equipment density, the resulting increase in overall power consumption has made stable power delivery a critical business issue for data center operators.
The Global Photonics Community Converges in San Francisco as More Than 23,000 Register for Photonics West 20263.2.2026 22:14:00 CET | Press release
The largest annual optics and photonics event highlighted the industry’s best and brightest during a week full of innovation, networking, and research sharing SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, brought the global optics and photonics community to San Francisco, California, for another successful and enlivening Photonics West. With more than 23,000 registrants, the annual conference and exhibition connected attendees from 40 countries, showcasing the transnational and collaborative spirit of the interdisciplinary industry. The dynamic event ran from 17 to 22 January, with 4,200 technical presentations across 100 conferences, 4 stages of industry-focused panels and presentations, 49 courses, and approximately 1,600 exhibitors in the five expos: Photonics West, BiOS, Quantum West, AR | VR | MR, plus, in its inaugural year, Vision Tech. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260203925940/en/ Attend
Vena To Acquire Acterys, Creating a New Category of Enterprise Performance Management: Orchestrated Planning3.2.2026 17:00:00 CET | Press release
The acquisition unites finance foresight and IT innovation in the first Microsoft-native Orchestrated Planning environment, helping enterprises plan better and achieve more by turning strategy into aligned execution in real time. Vena, the only complete FP&A platform powered by agentic AI and purpose-built to amplify the Microsoft technology ecosystem, today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Managility Pty Ltd, operating as Acterys (“Acterys”), the industry’s leading Power BI–based operational planning and app development platform, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approval. This acquisition unlocks a category-defining way for enterprises to combine planning, analytics, and application development within the Microsoft tools they already trust to run their business. By combining Vena’s Excel-native financial planning and analysis (FP&A) capabilities with Acterys’ proprietary Power BI write-back engine and unified analytics within Micros
Volante Technologies named a Leader in Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Banking Payment Hub Platforms3.2.2026 16:15:00 CET | Press release
Volante believes its solutions provide complete always-on payment processing support for banks and financial institutions across all tiers Volante Technologies, the global leader in Payments as a Service (PaaS), today announced its recognition as a Leader in the 2026 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Banking Payment Hub Platforms, which evaluates vendors based on Ability to Execute and Completeness of Vision. In Volante’s view, Gartner positioned them as a Leader based on their capacity to support enterprise-scale payment processing in banks and financial institutions across multiple regions, deployment models, and operational environments. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260203149834/en/ This graphic was published by Gartner, Inc. as part of a larger research document and should be evaluated in the context of the entire document. As the highest positioned provider in Ability to Execute, Volante believes its AI-pow
Toptal Ranked #1 Most Reliable Professional Services Company in America by Newsweek3.2.2026 16:00:00 CET | Press release
Toptal, the world’s largest fully remote workforce, has been ranked the #1 most reliable professional services company in America on the America’s Most Reliable Companies 2026 list by Newsweek and Statista. The list ranks top US companies based on trust, dependability, and consistent performance in their industry. In Newsweek’s ranking of 300 companies across all industries, Toptal took 10th place, right behind Bank of America and Oracle, which tied for 9th. As the most reliable professional services organization in America, Toptal, which ranked 11th in absolute rankings across all companies, placed well ahead of companies like Accenture (33), Deloitte (39), and Cognizant (66). The America’s Most Reliable Companies 2026 ranking is based on an independent survey of more than 80,000 evaluations submitted by 2,400 business decision-makers at America’s largest companies, including Apple, Dropbox, Johnson & Johnson, and UPS, making this recognition an especially meaningful indicator of prod
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