Via BioCurie
BioCurie, a TechBio company building an AI-driven digital platform for cell and gene therapy manufacturing, was awarded up to $9.3 million in funding from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) to accelerate the development of scalable, data-driven genomic medicine production.
While gene therapies have demonstrated transformative clinical potential, manufacturing remains one of the largest bottlenecks to broad patient access. High development costs, variable yields, and lengthy process optimization cycles continue to slow commercialization and limit scalability across the industry.
Under the ARPA-H award, BioCurie will design, build, and validate an AI-powered digital platform that replaces trial-and-error process development with intelligent computational modeling and simulation. By integrating advanced modeling, machine learning, and real-world manufacturing data, the platform aims to reduce development timelines and improve process robustness across viral and non-viral gene therapy production.
"AI will fundamentally reshape how advanced therapies are developed and manufactured," said Irene Rombel, CEO of BioCurie and Principal Investigator on the ARPA-H project. "This ARPA-H award validates our vision and accelerates our ability to deliver a scalable, digital-first manufacturing platform to therapy developers and manufacturers. Our mission is clear: bring disease-modifying and curative genomic medicines to patients faster and more affordably."
This project brings together a consortium of gene therapy leaders across academia and industry, including Caring Cross, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and Center for Breakthrough Medicines, LLC (SK pharmteco Cell & Gene US). The University City Science Center provided strategic support in the development and coordination of the ARPA-H proposal, helping align consortium partners and federal funding strategy.
"BioCurie's vision for applying AI to gene therapy manufacturing represents the kind of translational innovation ARPA-H is designed to accelerate," said Heath Naquin, Senior Vice President of Innovation & New Ventures at the Science Center. "We're proud to support the team as they advance this important work."
BioCurie's platform is designed to serve biopharmaceutical developers and manufacturing organizations seeking to de-risk process development, reduce costs, and scale production more predictably. The ARPA-H project will support validation of the platform in collaboration with leading partners, creating a foundation for broader industry deployment. ARPA-H Program Manager Daria Fedyukina, Ph.D. leads this project for the agency.
This award follows BioCurie's continued growth in 2025, including expansion of its team in Delaware and Cambridge, MA, and the advancement of commercial partnerships across the cell and gene therapy ecosystem.
About BioCurie
Founded by Irene Rombel and Richard Braatz, BioCurie is building the AI infrastructure layer for genomic medicine manufacturing. Combining world-leading expertise in advanced modeling, machine learning, and bioprocess engineering, BioCurie's platform enables data-driven decision-making across gene therapy development and production. The company's mission is to make advanced therapies more scalable, affordable, and accessible worldwide.
