Sentien Biotechnologies

Sentien Biotechnologies, Inc. is a clinical-stage regenerative medicine company founded in 2008 by Biju Parekkadan and Brian Miller. The company is focused on developing cell-based therapies for conditions caused by systemic, immune-mediated inflammation. Miller, the current CEO, has over 20 years of experience in the life sciences, including roles at FORMA Therapeutics and Eli Lilly and Company. Parekkadan, the scientific co-founder, is a researcher whose work on a novel method to deliver cell therapy led to the company's core technology.

The company's business is centered on its proprietary ex-vivo cell therapy platform. The lead product, SBI-101, is an extracorporeal device that combines allogeneic mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) with a blood filtration device. This approach avoids the direct injection of cells into the patient. Instead, the patient's blood is circulated through the device, where it is "conditioned" by anti-inflammatory and regenerative factors secreted by the MSCs. This method allows for a controlled, sustained, and dynamic delivery of the therapeutic factors, a significant advantage over traditional cell infusion methods where cells are often lost quickly. The technology is designed to integrate with existing blood-circuit equipment like dialysis or ECMO machines.

Sentien's primary market is critical care, targeting complex systemic inflammatory diseases where single-factor agents have been ineffective. The company's initial focus is on treating patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) who require dialysis. Following promising initial data, the application of SBI-101 was expanded to clinical trials for treating severe COVID-19 patients suffering from both acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and AKI. The company's revenue model will likely be based on the sale of the SBI-101 device for use in hospital and critical care settings. Sentien has secured a total of $13 million in funding over two rounds, with a notable $12 million Series A round in 2017 led by Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund and Mission BioCapital.

Keywords: regenerative medicine, cell therapy, ex-vivo therapy, mesenchymal stromal cells, acute kidney injury, systemic inflammation, immunomodulation, extracorporeal device, blood conditioning, SBI-101, acute respiratory distress syndrome, dialysis, critical care, Biju Parekkadan, Brian Miller, Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund, Mission BioCapital, cell-based therapies, organ failure, immune response