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Ryan Cross

@scienceboss.bsky.social

52 followers 20 following 75 posts

Senior Science Correspondent at Endpoints News. Reach out privately on Signal: RyanCross.25

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Ryan Cross @scienceboss.bsky.social · 1d

Exclusive for @endpts.com: Lipid nanoparticle startup Liberate Bio has emerged with $31M in seed funding from Khosla Ventures and plans to test in vivo cell therapies targeting macrophages and monocytes in the clinic in 2026. endpoints.news/exclusive-li...

Exclusive: Lipid nanoparticle startup emerges with $31M from Khosla for in vivo cell therapies

Liberate Bio raises $31M seed funding from Khosla Ventures, developing in vivo cell therapy using monocytes and macrophages to fight cancer and other diseases.

Ryan Cross @scienceboss.bsky.social · 1d

Earlier this year I visited Bexorg to see its brain-in-a-bucket experiments in person. The approach raises many technical and ethical questions which I dug into in my profile of the startup in June. Read more here:
endpoints.news/rebooting-de...

Exclusive: Rebooting dead human brains, a biotech startup seeks to reinvent early drug testing work

Startup Bexorg, led by Zvonimir Vrselja, keeps human brains alive to test drugs. Their BrainEx system sustains brain cells for 24 hours to improve drug development and reduce animal testing.

Ryan Cross @scienceboss.bsky.social · 1d

The Yale spinout Bexorg has raised a $23M series A for its cutting-edge and unconventional approch to preclinical research: testing drugs on ‘rebooted’ human brains from organ donors. My story for @endpts.com has the details: endpoints.news/bexorg-raise...

Yale spinout raises $23M to test drugs on ‘rebooted’ human brains from organ donors

Bexorg has collected $23 million in a Series A raise to scale up its human brain experiments, bringing its total funding to $42.5 million, the startup announced Wednesday.

Ryan Cross @scienceboss.bsky.social · 5d

#ESGCT2025: A woman who was previously ineligible for @genethonfr.bsky.social's Crigler–Najjar syndrome gene therapy due to pre-existing immunity to AAV8 got the treatment after Hansa Bio's antibody-chopping drug imlifidase cleared the way. Read more in @endpts.com :

endpoints.news/new-study-su...

Person previously ineligible for gene therapy granted treatment after antibody-chopping drug clears the way

Study shows Hansa's Idefirix helps deliver Genethon's AAV8 gene therapy GNT003 in previously ineligible Crigler-Najjar patient by clearing antibodies, reports Do Cao at ESGCT.

Ryan Cross @scienceboss.bsky.social · 7d

At #ESGCT2025, Mammoth Bio presented the first monkey data of its lead program, a gene editing therapy that uses its small Cas-Phi enzyme to target APOC3 for triglyceride reduction. A clinical trial is planed for the second half 2026. More in my story for @endpts.com:

endpoints.news/mammoth-bios...

Mammoth Biosciences is getting closer to finding out if its big bet on tiny CRISPR enzymes will pay off

Mammoth Biosciences reveals monkey data for CRISPR therapy targeting APOC3 gene to lower triglycerides, with CEO Trevor Martin planning clinical trials in 2026.

Ryan Cross @scienceboss.bsky.social · 7d

At #ESGCT2025, Seppo Ylä-Herttuala from the University of Eastern Finland reported success in Phase 2b study of a gene therapy that uses a surgical technique to inject adenoviruses containing the VEGF-D gene into ischemic heart tissue. My story for @endpts.com:

endpoints.news/finnish-rese...

Finnish researchers report success in mid-stage study of heart disease gene therapy

Researchers from the University of Eastern Finland said a gene therapy for people with refractory angina, a form of chronic chest pain that persists despite treatment, was successful in a Phase 2b stu...

Ryan Cross @scienceboss.bsky.social · 7d

At #ESGCT2025, the scientists behind Baby KJ’s custom #CRISPR gene editing therapy said they are planning a clinical trial to help more children and turn the one-off drug into an approvable, repeatable procedure. My story for @endpts.com has more details. - endpoints.news/qa-scientist...

Q&A: The scientists behind Baby KJ’s custom CRISPR drug are planning a trial to help more children

Scientists led by Kiran Musunuru plan clinical trial for custom gene editing therapies, following success with

Ryan Cross @scienceboss.bsky.social · 9d

Arbor Biotechnologies has partnered with Chiesi Group in #CRISPR gene editing deal worth up to $2 billion, just 10 weeks after announcing it had dosed the first patient in its PH1 trial. Next up for Arbor: a trio of ALS therapies. Read more in @endpts.com - endpoints.news/arbor-partne...

Arbor partners with Chiesi Group in gene editing deal with potential $2B future payments

Chiesi Group partners with Arbor Biotechnologies in CRISPR deal worth up to $2B for PH1 therapy and rare liver diseases, following first patient dosing in clinical trial.

Ryan Cross @scienceboss.bsky.social · 14d

I am heading to Spain next week to cover the #ESGCT2025 meeting for @endpts.com. If you're presenting new cell therapy, gene therapy, gene editing or RNA therapy research at the meeting, or just want to meet, reach out!

Ryan Cross @scienceboss.bsky.social · 14d

The French biotech EG 427 has made a gene therpay based on a herpesvirus vector that delivers a botulinum toxin to sensory neurons to reduce urinary incontinence by 88% in spinal cord injury patients. More details on the data and science in my exclusive for @endpts - endpoints.news/exclusive-fr...

Exclusive: French startup's gene therapy dramatically reduces urinary incontinence in spinal cord injury patients

EG 427's gene therapy shows 88% reduction in urinary incontinence for spinal cord injury patients at 12 weeks, using herpesvirus vector to deliver botulinum toxin F to bladder.

Ryan Cross @scienceboss.bsky.social · 20d

In 2023, Biogen said it would deprioritize its early stage gene therapy research, but a small team of scientists continued working on next-gen AAV capsids. Now Biogen has cut its remaining AAV work. Read more in my exclusive for @endpts.com - endpoints.news/biogen-calls...

Exclusive: Biogen calls it quits on AAV gene therapy, again

Biogen is ending its gene therapy work that relies on adeno-associated viruses, or AAVs, the company confirmed to Endpoints News, making it the latest pharma to walk away from the viral-based delivery...

Ryan Cross @scienceboss.bsky.social · 22d

Feng Zhang's startup Aera Therapeutics has announced an in vivo CAR-T therapy for autoimmune disease as its lead program, and plans to be in clinical trials in mid-2026. Read more about that program, and two more at Aera, in my exclusive for @endpts.com - endpoints.news/aera-therape...

Exclusive: Aera Therapeutics jumps into in vivo CAR-T race with trial planned for 2026

Aera Therapeutics is the latest company hoping that a simple infusion can reprogram the immune system to wipe out errant cells responsible for autoimmune disease. It's planning on testing the in vivo ...

Ryan Cross @scienceboss.bsky.social · 26d

We chose these companies because the potential applications of their technologies are disruptive and vast. Imagine lipid nanoparticle infusions replacing viral vector gene therapy and ex vivo cell therapy. It won't be easy to pull off, but if it works, it would be huge.

Ryan Cross @scienceboss.bsky.social · 26d

The founders, funders, leadership and science of Averna and Stylus are strong, yes, that's a prerequisite for Endpoints 11.

Ryan Cross @scienceboss.bsky.social · 26d

This is a tough time for the gene editing field. Two "older" gene insertion startups shut down in the past year. And many CRISPR companies trimmed pipelines and cut staff. So why did we choose to highlight not one, but two, new gene editing companies? endpoints.news/biotech-is-s...

Will CRISPR matter?

On a sunny September day in 2023, scientists at CRISPR Therapeutics invited me to peer through their microscopes. Through the lens were liver cells, part of the company’s work to gear up for a clinica...

Ryan Cross @scienceboss.bsky.social · 26d

Stylus Medicine, led by Emile Nuwaysir, is using viral recombinases to stitch genes into precise parts of the genome. It is also solving co-delivery of mRNA and DNA in a single lipid nanoparticle to make affordable and durable in vivo CAR-T cell therapies. endpoints.news/endpoints-11...

The Endpoints 11: Stylus Medicine wants to usurp viral proteins and bring CAR-T to the masses

Why we chose Stylus Medicine for the 2025 Endpoints 11 awards

Ryan Cross @scienceboss.bsky.social · 26d

Averna Therapeutics, led by former Intellia chief scientist Tom Barnes, is using retrotransposons, aka 'jumping genes', to insert genes with an "all RNA" approach. No DNA. No viral vectors. It could be the cheapest and simplest form of gene insertion. endpoints.news/endpoints-11...

The Endpoints 11: Harnessing jumping genes for a simple ‘all RNA’ gene therapy at Averna Therapeutics

Why we picked Averna Therapeutics as a 2025 Endpoints 11 winner.

Ryan Cross @scienceboss.bsky.social · 26d

This year I profiled two companies that are developing next-generation gene editing therapies that go beyond CRISPR and use other molecular machines to precisely insert full genes into safe harbors in the genome.

Ryan Cross @scienceboss.bsky.social · 26d

One of my favorite rituals at @endpts is picking our annual list of the most promising startups pushing science and medicine forward. Hundreds are nominated, we seriously debate 40-50 of them, and we whittle it down to the Endpoints 11. The list is out! endpoints.news/the-2025-win...

The Endpoints 11 list: Meet the most exciting biotech startups of 2025

Announcing the 2025 Endpoints 11 winners — the most exciting, high-risk, high-reward biotech startups of the year.

Ryan Cross @scienceboss.bsky.social · Sep 11

I spoke with #LaskerAward winner Michael Welsh from the University of Iowa about how he helped unravel the molecular mechanisms of #CysticFibrosis that laid the foundation for Vertex's life-saving drugs for the once fatal disease. Read the interview on @endpts.com: endpoints.news/a-conversati...

Q&A: Lasker Award winner Michael Welsh on the science that led to life-saving cystic fibrosis drugs

Scientists Welsh, González, and Negulescu win Lasker Award for cystic fibrosis research, including Welsh's molecular insights and Vertex's Trikafta drug development.

Ryan Cross @scienceboss.bsky.social · Sep 10

Chinese #CRISPR company YolTech Therapeutics has raised a $45M series B as it plans for its first Phase 3 study in ATTR, the same genetic disease that US-based Intellia recently began a pair of Phase 3 studies in. Read more in my exclusive for
@endpts.com: endpoints.news/chinese-cris...

Exclusive: Chinese CRISPR company YolTech raises $45M as it plans for first Phase 3 study

YolTech Therapeutics raises $44.5M Series B for CRISPR therapies, led by AstraZeneca-CICC fund. Company has 4 therapies in clinical trials, plans Phase 3 for ATTR treatment.

Ryan Cross @scienceboss.bsky.social · Sep 8

China biotech Epigenic Therapeutics raises $60M to test #CRISPR #epigenetic therapies for HBV in Phase 1/2 trial, competing with US startups nChroma and Tune. Read more from my exclusive interview with Epigenic CEO Bob Zhang in my story for @endpts.com endpoints.news/china-biotec...

China biotech Epigenic raises $60M to test CRISPR epigenetic therapies

Epigenic Therapeutics raises $60M Series B for CRISPR-based hepatitis B therapy, with CEO Bob Zhang leading clinical trials in New Zealand, China and US through 2027.

Ryan Cross @scienceboss.bsky.social · Aug 19

Neuropsych startup Sensorium, founded by Mass General and Harvard scientists, has raised $25M for a Phase 1 study of a new plant-derived drug for anxiety. CEO Jacob Hooker told me about the drug's mechanism for the first time in my exclusive story for @endpts.com: endpoints.news/sensorium-ra...

Exclusive: Sensorium raises $25M to test succulent-derived drug for anxiety

Sensorium, a startup founded by scientists from Mass General and Harvard in 2021 to look for new brain drugs from plants and fungi, has raised a $25 million series A extension, the company told Endpoi...

Ryan Cross @scienceboss.bsky.social · Aug 12

Gameto, a startup looking to disrupt the in vitro fertilization industry with stem cell technology from George Church's lab, has raised $44 million in Series C financing for its Phase 3 study. My story for @endpts.com has the details: endpoints.news/fertility-st...

Fertility startup Gameto raises $44M to fund Phase 3 study of stem cell IVF therapy

The new funding will allow Gameto to finish a Phase 3 study of its therapy in 500 people looking to conceive via in vitro fertilization.

Ryan Cross @scienceboss.bsky.social · Aug 7

After promising proof of concept data from a Phase 1 study earlier this year, Strand Therapeutics has raised $153 million series B funding to test its #mRNA cancer therapies encoding the potent immune-stimulating protein IL-12.

Read more in Endpoints News: endpoints.news/strand-thera...

Strand Therapeutics nabs $153M to test mRNA cancer therapies

Strand Therapeutics, a startup based on research from MIT, has managed to pull off one of the largest raises for an mRNA-focused biotech in recent years.