SymbioCellTech

SymbioCellTech was founded by Dr. Christof Westenfelder and Dr. Axel Zander around a patented therapy it calls Neo-Islets. These are islet-sized organoids made by combining donor islets with mesenchymal stem cells. The cluster secretes insulin under physiological control while shielding itself from autoimmune attack, with no immunosuppression required. The technology is covered by a US patent and took the American Diabetes Association Innovation Challenge Award in 2024. It remains preclinical: the furthest published work is an FDA-authorized veterinary study in insulin-dependent pet dogs, where the first treated animals needed up to 50 percent less insulin per day. The company projects that one donor pancreas could yield roughly 270 human doses. SymbioCellTech is built entirely around type 1 diabetes, and no human trial has begun.

Location

Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.