Cellino Bio

Market position

Cellino is positioned in automated manufacturing for stem-cell-derived therapies, an area constrained by manual labor, variability and high overhead costs; its lead investor at Leaps by Bayer described the company as poised to become a leader in the field [6]. It was the first recipient of funding under ARPA-H's Scalable Solutions mission office [3] and was named to Fast Company's 2026 list of the World's Most Innovative Companies [0][1].

Sources cite the combination of AI-guided image analysis with laser-based, contact-free removal of unwanted cells inside a closed, cassette-based system, which automates steps normally done by hand and supports massively parallel, patient-specific production; the autologous approach is stated to remove the need for a matched donor and for immunosuppression [0][3][4][6].

Technology

Cellino's platform applies deep learning to microscopy images of cell cultures and uses laser-generated bubbles to precisely remove unwanted cells and control cell density, forming a closed-loop, image-guided "optical bioprocess" intended to reduce human variability [0]. The NEBULA system is a patient-specific, fluidic cassette-based, closed platform that automates cell reprogramming, expansion and differentiation using AI and laser technologies, and is scaled by adding modules so that thousands of patient samples can be processed in parallel in one facility [3][4]. The company also cites Cellinoverse, an in-silico environment simulating biomanufacturing behavior [0]. Its stated disciplinary mix spans machine learning, laser optics, physics, semiconductors, bioengineering, genomics, bioinformatics, mechatronics and cell therapy [0][5]. The company's approach was described as inspired by the semiconductor industry, with a stated plan to build the first autonomous human cell foundry by 2025 [6].

Go-to-market

The company pursues collaborations with clinical and industry partners and non-dilutive government funding to validate and scale its platform. It is developing a long-term collaboration with the NIH, where senior investigator Kapil Bharti leads the first autologous iPSC-derived clinical trial in the U.S., to validate Cellino's manufacturing approach, and planned to build early-stage GMP capabilities to support clinical trials [6]. The ARPA-H program is aimed at reducing the cost of personalized regenerative medicines so that hospitals across the U.S. could routinely generate patient-derived cells and tissues [3].

Cell and gene therapy developers and biopharmaceutical manufacturers needing scalable stem cell manufacturing, clinical research institutions such as the NIH, and ultimately hospitals that would produce patient-specific cells and tissues on site for patients with degenerative and chronic diseases [3][6].

Geography

Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, with the ARPA-H-funded effort aimed at enabling deployment in hospitals across the U.S. [3][4].

History

Founded in 2017 [4][6]. The company raised $16 million in financing in April 2021, in a seed round led by The Engine and Khosla Ventures [4][5][6]. In January 2022 it closed an $80 million Series A led by Leaps by Bayer, Bayer's investment arm, bringing total capital raised to $96 million as of 2024 [3][6]. In September 2024 it received an award of up to $25 million from ARPA-H, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to develop the NEBULA system; it was the first project funded by ARPA-H's Scalable Solutions mission office [3][4]. In 2026 the company announced leadership changes, including an expanded role and board seat for co-founder Marinna Madrid (January 2026) and the appointment of Ed Tekeian as Chief Operating Officer (March 2026), and was named to Fast Company's list of the World's Most Innovative Companies of 2026 [0][1].

Risks & controversies

The sources do not report controversies. Noted execution risks are inherent to the field: cell therapies are labor-intensive, hard to scale and costly, which is the problem the platform aims to address [6]; the company's earlier laser gene-editing program was paused to focus resources [5]; and the ARPA-H award is milestone-style federal funding of "up to" $25 million [4].