GE Ventures Teams with Mayo Clinic Ventures to Launch Vitruvian Networks, Inc.

In the near future, two people with the exact same disease could receive very different treatments, yet see the same results.

That’s because who we are biologically is determined by our genes, the units of DNA that compose everything from our height to our eye color and even our personalities. Our genes live inside our cells and dictate how they work: no two people grow, age or metabolize the same way.

The science of gene and cell therapy has emerged rapidly as scientists have figured out ways to  genetically modify a patient’s cells, programming them to regenerate certain tissues, inhibit growth, or even to attack diseases like cancer in the body. This precise, personalized approach to medicine is revolutionizing healthcare, and is making its way to later stage clinical trials with much anticipation.

However, there is a long way to go between developing these therapies in the lab and getting them to market. To help cell and gene therapy reach the masses, the industry needs to innovate and create built-for-purpose tools, technologies and manufacturing standards to allow the production of personalized therapies for thousands of patients.

A new company has been founded to bridge the gap: Vitruvian Networks, Inc., the brainchild of GE Ventures and Mayo Clinic Ventures.

Vitruvian Networks will develop and implement design processes and manufacturing lines for cell therapy companies, so they can work with the efficiency and cost-effectiveness they desperately need.

“Merging GE’s expertise in process excellence and digitization with the results of emerging cell and gene therapies has the potential to enable better and safer treatments for patients that could get to market faster,” said Sue Siegel, CEO, GE Ventures. “Mayo Clinic is a key leader in patient treatment delivery and care in cancer and regenerative medicine, so we are honored to have incubated this solution in partnership with their team.”

Vitruvian Networks’ team is a melting pot of the best minds from both the life sciences industry and the software development industry. Their first target will be blood cancers; several exciting new therapies for this group of diseases are on the way. They will also focus on developing solid standards and infrastructure to protect patients and expedite discovery, delivery and regulation in the field.

Harnessing the GE Store, Vitruvian will use tools, expertise, and technology from GE Healthcare’s Cell Therapy Technologies business to support their own capabilities.