Avivo Biomedical Inc.
Vancouver, CA · Founded 2020 · 16 employees on LinkedIn · 1 known investors
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Avivo develops enzyme-based technology to convert blood types and enable organ compatibility, increasing access to transfusions and transplants while reducing waste in healthcare systems. The company serves hospitals, transplant centers, military and emergency care settings with a platform designed to integrate into existing clinical workflows.
Also known as Avivo · Avivo Bio · AvivoBio
Founders & leadership
Avivo Biomedical Inc. was founded in 2020 by Peter Rahfeld and Stephen G. Withers.
Board
Investors · 1
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Avivo Biomedical Inc. is a biomedical company developing enzyme-based technology intended to remove ABO blood type as a constraint on blood transfusions and organ transplantation. Its approach uses enzymes to convert donated blood and solid organs to type O, the universal blood group, so that donated units and organs can be allocated according to medical need rather than blood-group matching. The company frames the resulting benefits as expanded effective blood supply, fewer discarded organs and a higher likelihood of matches with living donors.
The technology is positioned for use in hospitals and transplant centres, military and remote settings, and emergency and trauma care, and the company states it is designed to fit within existing clinical workflows without requiring major changes to infrastructure or processes. Avivo's website highlights work on enzyme-converted type O kidneys permitting ABO-incompatible transplantation without hyperacute rejection in a human decedent model.
Founding story
Avivo is built on discoveries made by researchers at the University of British Columbia. Chief Scientific Officer Peter Rahfeld, during postdoctoral research at UBC, identified human microbiome-derived enzymes capable of converting type-A red blood cells to type O, and co-founded the company on the premise of making ABO blood types obsolete. Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer Spence Macdonald studied high-throughput enzyme discovery in Stephen Withers' laboratory at UBC. John Barclay, later Vice President of Business Development, was connected to the scientific founders in early 2020 as a mentor through entrepreneurship@UBC's Lab2Launch venture incubator and became a co-founder.
Traction
Avivo reports preclinical evidence that enzyme-converted O kidneys allow ABO-incompatible transplantation without hyperacute rejection in a human decedent model, and states that it has been selected to the NATO DIANA 2026 Challenge Programme cohort. It also lists external collaborators, including commentary from Marcelo Cypel, Surgical Director of the Ajmera Transplant Centre at University Health Network.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
Avivo positions itself around eliminating blood-type matching as a determinant of transfusion and transplant suitability, an area it characterizes as long-standing standard practice in transfusion and transplant medicine.
Technology
Avivo's platform is based on enzymes derived from the human microbiome that cleave the antigens defining ABO blood groups, converting type-A red blood cells to type O. The company applies the same approach to solid organs, and reports enzyme-converted O kidneys enabling ABO-incompatible transplantation without hyperacute rejection in a human decedent model. The technology is described as compatible with existing clinical workflows.
Go-to-market
The company pursues collaborations and partnerships with academic, clinical and industry stakeholders, with a dedicated alliance management function leading strategic partnerships to advance its enzyme-based platform through translational research, regulatory strategy and commercialization. It lists partnership, media and careers contact channels and publicly solicits collaborators.
Hospitals and transplant centres, clinicians in transfusion medicine and transplantation, emergency and trauma care providers, and military or remote-setting medical operations.
Geography
The company's scientific origins and founding team are tied to the University of British Columbia in Canada, with leadership and clinical expertise also drawn from Australia.
History
The company states it has assembled a multidisciplinary team across science, medicine and operations since 2020. Its leadership includes President and CEO John Coleman, previously co-founder, COO and then President of Anandia Labs prior to its acquisition by Aurora Cannabis and earlier leader of Project Search at the Centre for Drug Research & Development (now adMare BioInnovations); CSO Peter Rahfeld; Chief Medical Officer Rob Carroll, a transplant medicine, nephrology and immunogenetics specialist and former National Clinical Lead for Transplantation and Immunogenetics at Australian Red Cross Lifeblood; CFO Chris Clark, formerly CFO of Neovasc; COO Spence Macdonald; VP Business Development John Barclay; Director of Alliance Management Karolina Jones, who joined in 2022; and Isis Ip, Manager of Product Development.
Compiled by commissioned research from 3 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Timeline · 1
launches, deals, and filingsAvivo announced on its website that it was selected to the NATO DIANA 2026 Challenge Programme cohort.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 3
primary sources listed
- Avivo Biomedical Inc.avivobio.com · web
3 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Avivo Biomedical Inc. do?
- Avivo develops enzyme-based technology to convert donated blood and organs to universal type O.
- Who founded Avivo Biomedical Inc.?
- Avivo Biomedical Inc. was founded by Peter Rahfeld, Stephen G. Withers in 2020.
- Who are Avivo Biomedical Inc.'s investors?
- Avivo Biomedical Inc.'s investors include WUTIF Capital.
- Where is Avivo Biomedical Inc. headquartered?
- Avivo Biomedical Inc. is headquartered in Vancouver, CA.