# Syntax Bio

> Syntax Bio is a Chicago synthetic biology company building Cellgorithm, a CRISPR-based platform that programs stem cells to differentiate on command. Instead of coaxing stem cells into specialized cell types through months of manual, growth-factor-heavy protocols, Cellgorithm encodes the sequence of gene activations that mimic human development into a single DNA program, collapsing timelines from months to weeks. Spun out of the University of Illinois Chicago and formerly known as Cellgorithmics, the company has raised more than $25 million and is advancing a pancreatic beta cell therapy for type 1 diabetes while partnering with biopharma to program cells at scale.

- **Founded:** 2018
- **Headquarters:** Chicago, Illinois, United States
- **Founders:** Ryan Clarke (Co-Founder & Chief Scientific Officer (formerly CTO)), Brad Merrill (Co-Founder (UIC Professor)), Nikolas Balanis (Co-Founder & Chief Technology Officer)
- **Team size:** ~13 employees
- **Products:** Cellgorithm, Pancreatic beta cell therapy program, Biopharma programming partnerships
- **Notable:** Raised more than $25 million total, including a $14.4M Series A expansion in 2026., Spun out of a University of Illinois Chicago lab and rebranded from Cellgorithmics to Syntax Bio., Demonstrated differentiation of diverse cell types in days-to-weeks rather than months.

## Products & services

- **Cellgorithm** — A CRISPR-based discovery and manufacturing platform that programs stem cells to differentiate by encoding the sequence of endogenous gene activations that mimic human development into a single, one-time DNA program - reducing growth factor requirements, manual steps, and timelines.
- **Pancreatic beta cell therapy program** — A preclinical cell therapy program using Cellgorithm to generate functional pancreatic beta cells for type 1 diabetes, backed by Mayo Clinic and Breakthrough T1D.
- **Biopharma programming partnerships** — Cellgorithm-based cell programming services and collaborations with biopharma and tools companies to differentiate diverse cell types faster and more reproducibly.

## Achievements

- Raised more than $25 million total, including a $14.4M Series A expansion in 2026.
- Spun out of a University of Illinois Chicago lab and rebranded from Cellgorithmics to Syntax Bio.
- Demonstrated differentiation of diverse cell types in days-to-weeks rather than months.
- Reported a collaboration where a four-month differentiation process ran in under two weeks.
- Assembled a board and advisory bench including MaxCyte founder Doug Doerfler and stem cell veteran Melissa Carpenter.
- Attracted strategic investors including Astellas Venture Management and Illumina Ventures.

## Latest updates

- **2026-06** — Closed a $14.4M Series A expansion (over $25M total) and named John Craighead CEO, elevating Ryan Clarke to CSO and Nikolas Balanis to CTO; added Doug Doerfler and Pete Bodine to the board.
- **2026-06** — Announced strategic collaboration with Applied StemCell to advance programmable iPSC therapy development.
- **2026-06** — Announced collaboration with Ajinomoto Health & Nutrition North America to evaluate stem cell culture technologies using Cellgorithm.
- **2025-12** — Published research highlighting Cellgorithm's approach to simple yet powerful programming of human stem cells.

## Links

- Website: https://www.syntax-bio.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/syntax-bio

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/syntax-bio
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-10