Syntax Bio Programs Stem Cells Toward Pancreatic Beta Cells in Four Days
New Cellgorithm™ data presented at ISSCR symposium indicates faster, scalable cell programming and add to Syntax Bio's compounding proprietary data
Company completes pancreatic beta cell screening milestones for lead program and enters process development with continued funding from Breakthrough T1D
CHICAGO, October 21, 2026--Syntax Bio, a synthetic biology company programming next generation regenerative medicines, today presented new research showing that its Cellgorithm™ platform differentiated human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) toward pancreatic beta cells in four days. The research indicates that activating the cell's own genetic instructions in a programmed sequence could enable faster, more efficient and scalable production of cell therapies, including a potentially transformative treatment for people with type 1 diabetes.
The findings were shared in an oral presentation and poster at the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) iPSC 20th Anniversary Symposium, "20 Years of iPSC Discovery: A Celebration and Vision for the Future," held Oct. 20-22 at the Kyoto International Conference Center in Kyoto, Japan.
Cellgorithm uses CRISPR activation (CRISPRa) to switch on the cell's own genes without cutting or editing the genome. It turns genes on in a specific order and at carefully controlled times, mimicking how specialized cells form during human development. A single delivery of transient DNA instructions guides the cells through the programmed sequence.
Researchers tested over 170 Cellgorithm variants across three screens, drawn from 29 pancreatic lineage genes, with each variant activating up to 10 genes in five or fewer timed steps. Single-cell RNA sequencing and protein expression analyses showed that specific cells were guided toward endocrine precursor and pancreatic beta-like cell states within four days. The resulting cell states depended on which genes were activated and when. Other efforts created "gridlocks," stalling cells at intermediate stages even when instructions for later stages were included.
As the technology is applied across more cell states, each program generates new data that maps the human cell lineage tree and provides insight into how cells respond to specific genetic instructions. These compounding data feed back into the platform, improving its ability to predict efficient paths to desired cell states and to generate each new cell state faster than the last.
"These findings show that Cellgorithm can mimic how stem cells develop and reveal which genes move that process forward or hold it back," said Ryan Clarke, PhD, co-founder and chief scientific officer of Syntax Bio. "In this study, we directed stem cells toward pancreatic beta cell states in just four days. Learning how to precisely control that process could help overcome the longstanding bottlenecks that have made producing regenerative medicines slow and labor-intensive, enabling faster, more reliable and scalable production. What we learn applies to every cell type we program next."