BlueRock Therapeutics LP

Company Overview

Founded in 2016, BlueRock Therapeutics is a next-generation regenerative medicine company focused on breakthrough stem cell technology treatment of cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. BlueRock Therapeutics was launched with the backing of a combined $225 million investment by Bayer and biotechnology investment firm Versant Ventures.

BlueRock is a wholly owned and independently operated subsidiary of Bayer AG. In August 2019, Bayer AG and BlueRock Therapeutics announced an agreement under which Bayer fully acquired BlueRock Therapeutics. BlueRock’s initial programs focus on iPSC-derived therapeutics to expand its technology pipeline.

The company’s strategy is to work in collaboration with leading academic and industrial partners, including the University of Toronto and the Memorial Sloan Kettering Center. The new firm has R&D operations in New York and Boston. BlueRock also has acquired rights to a key iPSC intellectual property from iPS Academia Japan. BlueRock’s manufacturing platform has been established through a partnership with the Toronto-based Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine (CCRM), which is leveraging technologies and expertise for the scalable GMP production of stem cell types. The company is advancing its novel CELL+GENE platform to develop, manufacture, and deliver a new generation of authentic and engineered cell therapies across three therapeutic areas: neurology, cardiology and immunology.

In January 2020, Ncardia and BlueRock Therapeutics announced an agreement covering process development technologies to manufacture iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes. Under the terms of the deal, BlueRock gains access to Ncardia’s intellectual property and large-scale production processes for the production of iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes for therapeutic use.

A partnership agreement has been announced between BlueRock Therapeutics and bit.bio for the discovery and production of treatments based on regulatory T cells (Tregs) in August 2023. A collaborative research endeavor utilizes bit.bio’s machine learning-driven discovery platform to ascertain transcription factor (TF) combinations that facilitate the conversion of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) into tertiary germ cells (Tregs). The agreement includes BlueRock’s option to license bit.bio’s opti-ox precision cell programming technology for the production of iPSC-derived Treg cell treatments and BlueRock’s option to license TF combinations that arise from the partnership.

In January 2022, Dhahri and colleagues offered the first proof that transplanting more mature cardiomyocytes results in improved in vivo outcomes. They also outlined workable techniques for the scaled creation of mature human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hPSC-CMs).

In May 2021, BlueRock Therapeutics, FUJIFILM Cellular Dynamics, and Opsis Therapeutics formed a strategic research and development partnership to find and advance cell therapies for eye illnesses. As part of the partnership, the businesses will pool their combined knowledge to find and provide readily available iPSC treatments for eye disorders. In accordance with the terms of the agreement, BlueRock Therapeutics will have the exclusive right to license three retinal cell therapy programs—which are presently in preclinical development—from both parties. These programs will be concentrated on treating inherited retinal diseases and dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Company's Business Segments

• Products : The company generates revenues through Cell Therapy, Programs regarding Neurology and Opthalmology, Pipeline.