20 Jan Cellular Logistics Announces New Funding for Potency Assay Development to Advance CFX Regenerative Therapy
MADISON, Wis., January 20, 2026 – Cellular Logistics Inc., a pioneering Madison-based biotechnology company dedicated to transforming the treatment of heart disease through innovative regenerative medicine, today announced the receipt of new funding specifically earmarked for the development of potency assays critical to its flagship product, CFX. This strategic investment comes at a pivotal moment in the company’s development timeline, enabling accelerated progress on essential analytical test methods that ensure the safety, efficacy, and regulatory compliance of CFX as it moves toward FDA Investigational New Drug (IND) approval and human clinical trials.
Cellular Logistics’ lead product, CFX, represents a groundbreaking biomaterial derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). The process begins with cGMP-ready iPSCs, which undergo differentiation into cardiac fibroblasts (iCFs), followed by expansion, banking, decellularization, and extracellular matrix (ECM) generation to produce the final iCFX patch or milled product. The newly funded potency assays, focusing on macrophage phenotype, cytokine release, and other key indicators, form a cornerstone of the analytical development program and will further inform into future product release testing. These efforts build on recently completed milestones at partner Allele Biotechnology, including technology transfer for iPSC differentiation, iCF expansion and banking, decellularization, and ECM generation, as well as a comprehensive GAP analysis.
This funding infusion further propels Cellular Logistics’ comprehensive development plan for CFX toward IND submission. Ongoing activities encompass process development and refinement of standard operating procedures (SOPs), selection and banking of cognate GMP-iPSC lines, optimization of culture matrices for scale-up manufacturing in bioreactor formats, and production of cell lots for early dosing studies in pigs. The ECM composition of CFX is rich in structural components which have demonstrated high abundance in preclinical analyses and underscore the product’s potential to minimize injury and revitalize damaged heart tissue in ischemic conditions.
Complementing these advancements, Cellular Logistics recently bolstered its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) with the appointment of Rajesh Ambasudhan, Ph.D., an expert in stem cell biology from The Scintillon Research Institute and Chief Strategist at Allele Biotechnology. Dr. Ambasudhan’s extensive background in patient-specific disease models, cell reprogramming, and translating scientific discoveries into transformative therapies aligns seamlessly with CFX’s trajectory. “This new funding not only fortifies our analytical toolkit but also aligns perfectly with our collaborative momentum, positioning us to deliver transformative regenerative solutions for cardiovascular patients,” said Alex Vodenlich, President and CEO of Cellular Logistics.
The NHLBI Catalyze Program facilitates the transition of basic science discoveries into viable diagnostic and therapeutic candidates cleared for human testing. It also supports and funds preclinical research and development of technologies and transformative platforms such as Cellular Logistics’ iCFX platform technology.
Press Contact: Alex Vodenlich, President & CEO, alex@cellogistics.com
About Cellular Logistics
Cellular Logistics, Inc., founded in 2016 by a University of Wisconsin-Madison clinical and scientific team, develops regenerative medicine products to treat heart failure and restore function. Located in Madison, a leading hub for cell therapy, the company focuses on cardiovascular solutions. Visit www.cellogistics.com.
About Allele Biotech
Allele Biotechnology and Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (www.allelebiotech.com) is a San Diego-based company that explores the mechanisms of biological processes to develop technologies and products for biomedical research and therapy development. ALLELE’s mission is to increase accessibility to superior research and clinical assets by offering cutting edge technologies in individual products and fully integrated platforms. Allele utilizes proprietary non-integrating, mRNA-based, cellular reprogramming methods to develop cell therapy using cGMP-grade human iPS cells and their derivatives. Adding to its CDMO capabilities, in 2018 the company commissioned world’s first commercial cGMP facility that has been custom built for clinical manufacturing of pluripotent stem cells and their derived products.
Disclaimer
The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. Research reported in thisrelease was supported by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health as a sub-award to contract number 75N92022A00005.
Media Contact
Alex Vodenlich, President and CEO
alex@cellogistics.com