Neion Bio

The company was founded on the question of why medicines are often made using Chinese hamster ovary cells. Co-founder and CEO Dimi Kellari is an MIT-trained aerospace engineer with a background as a technologist and investor at firms including GoogleX and McKinsey. Co-founder and CTO, Dr. Sam Levin, is an Oxford-trained evolutionary biologist. The leadership team also includes Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Sven Bocklandt, formerly of Colossal Biosciences where he worked on de-extinction projects, and President of Commercial Operations Ming Li, who previously served as Chief Strategy Officer at Alvotech.

Neion Bio's core business revolves around its proprietary Raptor™ platform, which utilizes genetic engineering to produce recombinant biologics, such as monoclonal antibodies, within chicken eggs. The company re-engineers eggs, which it describes as nature's most efficient molecular factories, to function as living bioreactors. This process is designed to produce therapeutic proteins at a significantly lower cost, with minimal capital investment and a more resilient, localized supply chain compared to traditional cell-culture-based manufacturing. The platform is enabled by advances in precision genome engineering, the availability of large genomic datasets, and the ability to grow avian primordial germ cells. Neion Bio claims its method can lower capital expenditures by up to 100 times and reduce the carbon footprint of manufacturing by 10 to 100 times.

The company's business model is centered on partnerships with pharmaceutical companies. Upon emerging from stealth, Neion Bio announced its first commercial agreement with a major global pharmaceutical company for the co-development and supply of up to three monoclonal antibodies. This deal provides the company with near-term revenue through upfront and milestone payments, as well as long-term participation via profit sharing once the products are commercialized. Neion Bio serves biopharmaceutical and animal health companies, offering to manufacture a wide range of biological molecules including enzymes, fusion proteins, and peptides for both therapeutic and non-therapeutic use.