Kytopen Raises Series B Investment to Accelerate Commercial Expansion of Non-Viral Cell Engineering Platform
Kytopen, a biotechnology company developing advanced cell engineering technologies for the cell and gene therapy industry, has secured a Series B investment led by Telegraph Hill Partners to accelerate commercialization of its Flowfect® technology platform. The financing will support Kytopen’s global commercial expansion and increase adoption of its non-viral, continuous-flow cellular engineering solutions across the United States and Europe. Existing investors also participated in the round as the company continues advancing technologies designed to improve the manufacturing of engineered cell therapies.
Founded as a spinout from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Kytopen is focused on solving major challenges in cell therapy manufacturing. The company develops technologies that enable researchers and manufacturers to introduce genetic material into cells more efficiently, with the goal of making engineered cell therapies faster, more scalable, and more accessible. Kytopen’s Flowfect® platform uses a proprietary continuous-flow transfection approach designed to support the engineering of large quantities of high-quality cells while maintaining cell health and functionality.
The Series B investment follows Kytopen’s previous financing milestones, including a $30 million Series A round announced in 2021. That financing was led by Northpond Ventures, with participation from existing investors including The Engine, Horizons Ventures, MassVentures, Alexandria Venture Investments, and Aldevron co-founders Michael Chambers and John Ballantyne. The Series A funding supported commercialization of Flowfect® Tx and expansion of Kytopen’s technology for cell therapy manufacturing.
Telegraph Hill Partners led the Series B financing and joined Kytopen’s board of directors as part of the investment. The venture capital firm focuses on healthcare and life sciences companies developing technologies with commercial potential. Telegraph Hill Partners’ investment reflects growing interest in platforms that address manufacturing challenges in advanced therapies, particularly as cell and gene therapies continue moving from research laboratories toward broader clinical and commercial applications.
Kytopen’s Flowfect® technology is designed to provide a non-viral alternative for cell engineering. Traditional viral delivery methods can involve manufacturing complexity, scalability challenges, and cost considerations. Kytopen’s platform uses mechanical, electrical, and chemical forces to introduce genetic material such as RNA, DNA, and CRISPR-related components into cells. The company says its technology can process large numbers of cells while supporting closed manufacturing workflows required for clinical applications.
The company’s product portfolio includes Flowfect Tx®, a system designed for large-scale cell therapy manufacturing, and Flowfect Discover™, a high-throughput platform intended to support research and development activities. Together, these technologies are aimed at creating a streamlined path from early discovery through clinical and commercial manufacturing.
Kytopen was founded by scientists and engineers including Paulo Garcia and Cullen Buie, who developed the company’s technology from research originating at MIT. The company’s mission is focused on enabling simpler and more efficient manufacturing approaches for engineered cell therapies. By reducing manufacturing barriers, Kytopen aims to help biotechnology companies and researchers develop next-generation treatments more efficiently.
Earlier support from investors helped Kytopen build its technology foundation. The company raised a $3.6 million seed financing round led by The Engine in 2018, with participation from Horizons Ventures and angel investors with industry experience. That early funding supported development of Kytopen’s engineering team and advancement of its cellular engineering platform.
The latest investment arrives as demand increases for improved manufacturing technologies in the cell and gene therapy sector. While scientific advances have enabled the development of highly targeted therapies, manufacturing complexity remains one of the industry’s biggest challenges. Companies developing scalable production technologies are becoming increasingly important as more cell therapies move toward clinical testing and commercialization.
Kytopen has continued expanding collaborations and partnerships across the cell therapy ecosystem as it works to increase adoption of its technology. The company’s platform is designed to integrate into existing workflows used by biotechnology companies, researchers, and manufacturers seeking more efficient approaches to engineering therapeutic cells.
With the Series B investment led by Telegraph Hill Partners and continued support from existing investors, Kytopen plans to accelerate commercialization of its Flowfect® platform and expand its presence in global cell therapy markets. The company aims to provide biotechnology developers with scalable, non-viral cell engineering tools that can help improve the speed, efficiency, and accessibility of advanced therapies.