CellTellus uses advanced stem cell science and genetic diversity to unlock faster, more precise drug discovery. Our stem cell platform models human diseases at scale and validates new treatments quickly. This means safer, more effective therapies reach patients sooner.
CellTellus accelerates early-stage therapeutic development by harnessing genetic diversity in a large-scale stem cell platform, enabling rapid, high-confidence disease modelling and target validation.
Our stem cell platform accurately models human disease, helping partners validate targets and reduce failures.
By combining stem cell models, genomics, and machine learning, we rapidly generate mechanistic insights and efficacy data, accelerating the discovery-to-validation cycle.
Our population-scale approach captures real-world genetic variability, revealing efficacy and safety signals earlier to support better decision-making and reduce costly late-stage failures.
A NEW APPROACH
CellTellus is a biotechnology company pioneering a new approach to therapeutic discovery through induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology. By integrating advanced stem cell science with cutting-edge genomics and analytics, we model human disease at unprecedented scale and resolution. This enables the discovery and validation of novel drug targets, reduces risk in clinical programs, ultimately enabling faster, more effective treatments for patients worldwide.
Our technology integrates high-throughput iPSC-derived disease models with deep genomic profiling to understand how genetic variation influences disease biology, drug response, and therapeutic target validity. This approach is grounded in proven large-cohort genomics and single-cell studies, led by the founders, that have transformed the resolution at which human disease can be modelled in vitro.
Population-scale diversity: Unlike conventional iPSC platforms that rely on a handful of donor lines, we capture broad genetic diversity, mirroring the variability seen in clinical populations and revealing effects that are invisible in genetically homogeneous systems.
Multimodal genomics integration: We combine whole-genome sequencing with single-cell transcriptomic and epigenomic profiling, enabling precise mapping of genetic regulation to disease-relevant cellular pathways.
Direct translational relevance: By modelling disease in relevant human cells from diverse genetic backgrounds, we generate insights that are more predictive of clinical outcomes, helping pharma partners de-risk development pipelines and improve patient stratification strategies.
Scalable and modular: Our platform is adaptable to multiple therapeutic areas, from neurology to immunology, and can be customised to specific drug discovery needs.
Using scalable reprogramming and differentiation protocols, we generate iPSC-derived cell types relevant to specific diseases and therapeutic areas. These cellular models are then assayed using cutting-edge genomics technologies to measure the effects of genetic variation at cell-type resolution. By directly linking genotype to phenotype in human cells, we uncover causal disease mechanisms and pinpoint tractable drug targets. Here is what makes our approach unique and essential.
“We’re on a mission to transform early-stage drug discovery by integrating genetic diversity, scalable stem cell technology, and advanced genomics, delivering faster, more reliable routes to effective therapeutics”
Joseph Powell, Senior Leader in Genomic Medicine & AI
We ground our work in rigorously validated, peer-reviewed methods at the forefront of human genomics and stem cell research.
We partner with pharmaceutical innovators to accelerate discovery and development.
We prioritise technologies and approaches that meaningfully reduce the cost, time, and risk of bringing new therapies to patients.
We hold ourselves accountable to the highest ethical and professional standards, ensuring trust with our partners and the wider community.
We recognise that innovation thrives on diverse perspectives and backgrounds. We are committed to building inclusive teams and platforms that reflect the diversity of human populations.
We advance technologies with a clear focus on patient benefit, ensuring that commercialisation and discovery are aligned with social and ethical responsibility.
We aim to reduce waste and build scalable, resource-efficient solutions, contributing to a more sustainable biotechnology ecosystem.
ACCELERATING Treatments
We model human disease at unprecedented scale and resolution, enabling faster, more effective treatments for patients worldwide.
CellTellus, a Melbourne-based biotech startup is harnessing the power of stem cell models and precision genomics to fundamentally change how we study and treat complex diseases.
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Led by The University of Melbourne, with partners CellTellus, the University of Tasmania, and the University of Sydney, the team has been awarded $498,108 through the Australia's Economic Accelerator (AEA) Ignite program to advance the development of “stem cell villages” - a breakthrough platform for discovering new therapeutics for retinal diseases. The project will use patient-derived stem cell models to accelerate the discovery of novel treatments for neurodegenerative and blinding diseases. By optimising methods to grow “retinal villages” and integrating machine learning for precision analytics, this work aims to enable more personalised and effective therapeutic development.
References: CellPress, Nature Communications
CEO, specialist in genomic medicine and artificial intelligence. Expertise at the interface of data science, genomics, and cell biology, with a focus on applying large-scale datasets to understand human health and disease.
COO, specialist in stem cell and regenerative medicine. Expertise in human pluripotent stem cells, disease modelling, and translational neuroscience, with a focus on developing cell-based approaches for understanding and treating disease.
CMO, specialist in ophthalmic genetics and clinical translation. Expertise in inherited eye diseases, gene therapy, and the development of new treatments from research through to clinical application, with experience in commercialising ophthalmic innovations.
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