Emerging Startup

Regenerative Cell Therapy for Skeletal Muscle Disorders

Lee Rubin

A startup emerging from Lee Rubin's lab aims to provide a long-term cell therapy regenerative solution for conditions that result in reduced or improper skeletal muscle regeneration. (Image credit: B.D. Colen/Harvard Staff.)

Cell therapies hold therapeutic promise for a variety of degenerative conditions, such as muscular dystrophy. There are currently no means to expand and maintain skeletal muscle stem cells (satellite cells), in vitro, without losing their regenerative potential. With support from the Blavatnik Biomedical Accelerator, Lee Rubin's lab has developed a platform that can deliver clinically relevant quantities of satellite cells, enabling the adoption of adult skeletal muscle stem cells for use in cell therapy. The platform, through a combination of culture conditions and small molecules, can generate tens-to-hundreds of millions of satellite cells. A startup emerging from the Rubin Lab aims to utilize this platform to provide a long-term cell therapy regenerative solution for conditions that result in reduced or improper skeletal muscle regeneration.